The Cullen Inheritance
by twilightluver001
Summary: Money. Respect. NYC. Edward Cullen had them all, being the grandson of Elizabeth Cullen. When out of nowhere came in Bella Swan, who saved Gran's life, his life began to go downhill. Now he was in danger of losing his most prized possession: his legacy.
1. Prologue

**Summary:** Edward Cullen thought he had the perfect life, being the grandson of Elizabeth Cullen, founder of one of the best coffeeshops in the country. Money. Respect. NYC. He had them all. When out of nowhere came in Isabella Swan, who saved his grandmother from an assassination, his life began to go downhill. He could be in danger of losing his most prized possession: his legacy. All human. _

* * *

_

_Prologue_

American author and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar once said, "Money isn't the most important thing in life, but it's reasonably close to oxygen on the 'gotta have it' scale." You know what? The dude was right. Money was _everything _to me_. _Along with it came respect and power.

Lucky for me, I came from a very, _very_ wealthy family. My grandmother, Elizabeth Cullen, is the founder of _Bella Villagio_, making her the richest women in New York City. My grandfather Ed passed away a couple of years after my dad was born, widowing Gran at a young age of twenty-one. With the money that my Grandpa Ed had left her, Gran started her own business, a coffeehouse called _Bella Villagio_. Twenty years later, _Bella Villagio _became one of the most renowned coffeeshops in the country. In response to customers' demand, there are now eighty-seven locations in fifteen states.

I never had to worry about money, thanks to Gran. I lived in the nicest apartment on Upper East Side with Dad, my sister, Alice, and Gran. I'm enrolled at the prestigious Cornwell Prep School, a school that I got into because of my last name rather than my grades. One of the many perks of being Edward Cullen.

I got away with shit because I was a Cullen, a name that was envied and respected by the society. My life was perfect. At least it _used_ to be perfect. When one day a certain someone waltzed into my family and took away the most important thing in my life, things began to go downhill. And what would that be, you may ask?

My legacy.

* * *

**A/N:** I realize the prologue is a bit short but I didn't want to give away too much information. I promise the chapters will be much longer than this:) I'm really excited about this story since it's very different from "Welcome to Drama Academy". I'd been working with WTDA's Edward and Bella for so long... It's nice to develop a new ExB relationship!

Please review. The first chapter will be posted really soon. Thanks for reading:)


	2. The Accident

**A/N: **Thank you guys for the feedback on the prologue! Posting a new story is always nerve-wracking so I'm happy to hear that you're excited about this story. The story is ALL HUMAN. All of the characters will be different from the Twilight Saga; I'm only using their names and their looks.

It occured to me that I never did put up the disclaimer thing. So here it goes: This story was written strictly for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement intended.

* * *

"_Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time." _

_~Jim Rohn (American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker)  
_

* * *

Chapter One: The Accident

I hate high school. I really do. Every day, I'm surrounded by superficial airheads who pay more attention to designer clothes and clubbing than their academic performance. I'm besieged by comments that make fun of my last name. High school is hell.

I've been looking forward to college since seventh grade. I'm a senior in high school, which means I only have to endure the insufferable high school social hierarchy system for one more year.

I've lived in the Bronx district all my life with my best friends, Rosalie Hale and Emmett McCarty. The three of us have known each other since we were in diapers. Since my dad works on ships, he's rarely home. So I spend the majority of time hanging out with my friends. They weren't close to their family either- the three of us were family to each other.

Today was the fourth day of the new semester. St. George is private school on Upper East Side; Rosalie and Emmett didn't understand why my dad, who didn't care where I _lived_, would insist on enrolling me in that school instead of just letting me attend a public school in Bronx, like them. Truth to be told, I didn't get it either. St. George is an okay school but not the most well-known in the area.

Rose had texted and told me to meet her at _Big D's_, her uncle's ice cream parlor, before last period ended. We usually hang out there after school, until Emmett got out of the tutoring center. My best friend, Emmett McCarty- was the best Chemistry tutor at their school. Most people found it hard to believe but Rosalie and I knew better; Emmett was freaking _intelligent. _Just because he was brawny and on the football team, it doesn't mean he was dense. Stereotypes. Agh.

A high-pitched voice shrieked when I felt that something had caught my foot. Tearing my eyes off my cell phone screen, I stared wide-eyed at the girl that I had just stepped on. A Cornwell girl.

Cornell Prep, "school for the elite", is the best school on Upper East Side. It's only two blocks away from St. George so I see students from that school a lot. However, I've never actually talked to one of them before.

"I'm so sorry!" My hand flew to my mouth in surprise.

The boy beside the girl- the boyfriend, I assumed, since she was touching his arm- hung up his cell and stared at her. "Bree, are you alright?" She nodded and sighed. The boyfriend, turning to me with an expression of aggravation, glared at me.

"Watch where you're going. Don't they teach you anything at St. George?"

The greenness in his eyes was penetrating. Bree, putting an arm on the boyfriend's shoulder blade, smiled. "Edward, it's fine-"

"No, it's not," he snapped. "What the hell are you staring at, St. George? Forgot how to walk?"

I scoffed at him and turned on my heel. It wasn't even him that I had stepped on so what was he getting all worked up for? Trying to play hero in front of his girlfriend? Well, he failed. Big time. The way I saw it, he was more of a jerk than anything else.

When I was little, I used to be afraid of the metro station. I worried that I'd someday lose my balance, fall on top of the tracks, and get runover. When I started at St. George, the fear diminished. It only takes about twenty minutes for me to get home every day. That's the beauty about the metro system- avoiding traffic jams.

I found Rosalie at our usual table when I arrived at the ice cream parlor. _Big D_, her uncle, waved at me and I grinned at him. She was furious when I told her about my little run-in with that guy from Cornwell. Rose isn't exactly what you would call "sweet-tempered", but she's a very loyal friend. She stuck up for me so many times over the years; she was the go-to girl in my life. Here's something everyone should know about Rosalie Hale. Let's put it this way- if she ever ran for Miss New York, she'd scare off all the other contestants before they even got on that stage with her beauty. She has modeled for Maxim and Teen Vogue but quit because she felt modeling wasn't her. She sees herself as a race-car driver type of girl. Crazy, I know. All the guys at Lenox High, the school that she and Emmett go to, are obsessed with her.

"Was the girl bitchy?" she asked, her nostrils flaring.

"No," I chuckled. "She was nice. Makes me wonder what she was doing with a guy like him."

"Well, you know what they say. Girls always act sweet in front of guys." She shrugged nonchalantly. "She could be a total bitch behind his back but he'd never know."

"Really? People say that?"

"I don't know. But I just did so who cares."

I laughed at her logic. Rosalie excused herself to the restroom and coincidentally my cell phone vibrated, informing me that I had a text. It was from Riley. Grinning like a fool, I told Rose that I'd wait for her outside since the A/C was giving me goosebumps.

Riley and I hadn't been friends long but we'd grown really close to each other. We met through Rosalie- who was convinced that we were perfect for one another- at her parents' Christmas party last year and instantly, we… clicked. He's a student at NYC, two years older than us, and a really generous person. We talk from time to time and I enjoy his company very much. Even though his parents are wealthy, he isn't snobby at all- _unlike Cornwell Jerk. _He's just… nice. And really, _really _cute. Blonde hair, gray eyes, easy smile… A lot of girls' definition of perfect.

**Two more days of London. Can't wait to see you. –R. **

I always feel giggly when I'm texting or talking to Riley, which has Rosalie and Emmett convinced that I like him. I guess I do, I don't know. But either way, it doesn't matter right now. I'm not interested in relationships at the moment. Paul screwed it up for me.

**Hang in there. How's Daddy treating ya? - B. **

Riley doesn't get on with his dad. At all. Can't say I blame him. I mean, you can't just abandon a child and their mother and expect them to forgive you after three years of absence.

**Like crap. He orders me to visit him in London, and now that I'm here, he's never home. Which is a good thing, I suppose. –R. **

**Aww… I'm sorry, Riley. I hate to say this but your dad is an ass. –B. **

**Let's not talk about him. How's the weather in NY right now? It's raining over here so I'm stuck inside this bookstore. **

Snickering, I closed my eyes and beamed at the sky. New York's surprisingly sunny today. Not a gray cloud in sight and exactly my kind of day. I reopened my eyes to type a reply, but my smile faltered when a white BMW pulled in with its window rolled down, the driver behaving kind of strangely as she frantically looked from one side to another. She was wearing sunglasses and a black mask that covered the lower half of her face, peering at the ice cream parlor and talking into her cell phone. Her gaze then landed on a red-haired lady who was walking directly in front of me.

_Oh_, I thought. _She found the person she was looking for. Maybe she's the lady's daughter?_

As it turned out, she wasn't related to the lady at all. The next thing I know, she had a gun aimed at the lady's head when the lady began approaching the antique store next to the ice cream parlor.

"Look out!" Having no time to think it through, I threw myself on the red-haired lady, the two of us plummeting to the floor. The bullet hit the window of the ice cream parlor instead of going through the lady's head; the glass shattered and loud shrieks rippled through the crowded shop. I looked at the red-haired lady and she appeared to be in shock.

"Oh my God, are you alright?"

She parted her lips, as if she were trying to tell me something, and fainted.

-:: :: :: ::-

The police cars' sirens blared as the paramedics rushed down from the ambulance. I felt as if I were guest starring on CSI. Everything was spinning; I could hear people shouting at a distance, the siren ringing, the paramedics hovering over me…

And then it was dark. And I heard Rosalie scream.

-:: :: :: ::-

"Oh my God. Oh my God. What if she doesn't wake up? Was she shot? The doctor said she wasn't… oh my God, what if the bullet is inside of her?"

Why was Rosalie sobbing? And most importantly, why was she clutching onto my hand so tightly? Very deliberately, I opened my eyes and squinted. White. Bright. Uncomfortable sanitizer smell. Which only meant on thing…

Hospitals.

"Bella! You're awake! Thank God!" Rosalie pulled me into a hug and just about choked the air out of me. Her hair was a mess- no, _she _was a mess. Emmett sat beside her and for the first time that I had known him, he looked spooked.

"How are you feeling? Do we need to call the doctor, Bella?" he asked solemnly, his eyebrows knitting into a frown.

I sat up against Rosalie's protest. Stretching my arms and wiggling my fingers, I shook my head at him. Why were they looking at me as if I were fragile? My legs felt a little stiff but otherwise I was perfectly fine. In fact, I felt rather stupid, lying there on the cot when there was absolutely nothing wrong with me. "I'm great. What happened?"

Rosalie and Emmett exchanged a look, dumbfounded. "You don't remember what happened?"

I remembered texting Riley. A red-haired woman. Gunshot. And then after that, I must have had a blackout.

I leaped out of bed, hitting the corner table in the process, and fumbled toward the door. "The old lady, is she okay? She hit the floor pretty hard and fainted…"

"Bella-"

Emmett and Rosalie's voices were cut off when I kicked the door shut. They got to their feet and fell into step behind me, shouting my name. It was easy to lose them because the hospital was huge; the nurses that they walked past irritably gave them a lecture about keeping their voices down. Rose and Em wanted the brush them off but the four of them blocked the entire hallway. I didn't have time to wait for my friends.

I went to the nurse's station and a few of them gasped when they saw me approach in my hospital gown. And then it dawned on me that I didn't even know the lady's name.

"Oh my, why aren't you in your bed, hon?" An elderly nurse asked, hurrying to my side.

"I'm fine. I wasn't hurt. My name is Isabella Swan and I need to know which room the lady is staying out. You know, the one that was brought in with me after the accident." _Oh God, is she okay? Did I kill her by jumping on her? That would make me a murderer. I'm too young to go to jail. For Christ's sake, I'm only seventeen. _

The nurse pursed her lips at me. "Are you family?"

I nodded my head, my heart pounding erratically. "No. But I was at the scene of the accident." The memory of the gunshot put a lump to my throat. "Please, I just want to see if she's okay."

The elderly nurse smiled gravely at me and gestured me to follow her. We went up the elevator and stopped when we reached the eighth floor. Pausing when we reached room 807, she sighed and pushed the door open quietly.

"She still hasn't regained consciousness and she didn't have any ID in her wallet. We can't contact her family, so the only thing we can do is wait until she wakes up."

I sat down on the plastic chair beside her bed and studied the lady. She was probably in her late fifties or early sixties. In spite of her hair being red, I caught a few hidden strands of gray. She had a kind face. _Please let her be okay._

And then she coughed. Gasping and getting to my feet, I froze and gaped at her with my lips parted. Her eyes twitched and after what seemed to me like an eternity of waiting, she opened them.

She frowned when she saw me.

"Oh, dear. Am I in a hospital? I've always hated the smell."

It was probably very inappropriate for me to laugh at a time like this, but I couldn't help it. "Mrs…"

She cracked a smile at me. "Cullen, honey."

I smiled back at her. "Mrs. Cullen. I'm Bella. Do I need to call the doctor? Are you hurting or-"

She held a hand out to stop me. I noticed that her elbows were wrapped up. "Don't. I'm fine."

"Mrs. Cullen, I'm really sorry I pushed you to the ground. I panicked and I didn't think it through-" I was ranting like a moron, breaking out in a cold sweat, but I couldn't help it.

She chuckled at me. "Young lady, you have nothing to apologize for. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead. Oh, hello, doctor."

A middle-aged doctor stepped into the room and bobbed his head in greeting. He smiled and said he was glad to see both of us awake and asked Mrs. Cullen if she could give them a number to call her family, as no one knew who she was. Rosalie and Emmett burst through the doors, sighing in relief when they spotted me. They stayed for approximately three seconds before the police came in, kicked them out and demanded to do some questioning.

Hasn't anyone heard of the word "rest"?

Mrs. Cullen did most of the answering. My head spun as the officers bombarded me with questions, making me feel as if I were the suspect. I told them as nicely and politely as I could that I was just a student who happened to witness the scene and acted on my impulse; they took notes and resumed to questioning Mrs. Cullen.

"Mother!" A blonde man cried out as the door swung open. He trudged in, his eyes bloodshot and his tie crooked, and hurried to Mrs. Cullen's side, taking her hand. "I came as soon as I got the call. What on earth happened?"

"Carlisle," Mrs. Cullen's tone was disapproving. "Quiet down. It's a hospital. You of all people should know."

The police filled Carlisle in on what had happened and his eyes flashed to me for the first time since he entered the room when he was informed that I had saved his mother's life. As uncomfortable as I was with the attention, I let out a nervous laugh and told him no thanks were necessary, as I had no idea what I was doing when I leaped on his mother. To be frank, I was feeling quite nauseated and I was sure it wasn't just because of the sanitizer smell. I was… overwhelmed. This couldn't have happened to me. I couldn't have saved someone's life. When Carlisle shook my hand and told me his family was indebted to me, the nausea intensified. This was all too much to take. I wasn't a hero. I was... just Bella Swan.

The officer told me that I could go as soon as I filled out some papers. Rosalie and Emmett were waiting outside the room, scolding me as soon as I stepped out. I felt bad for not waiting on them earlier because I knew they were worried sick.

"What did they ask you in there? I almost punched the officer with the mustache when he told us to step out," Emmett scoffed.

"They-" I broke off when I noticed two Cornwell uniforms coming down the corridor with long strides. A Cornwell boy and a Cornwell girl. And not just any Cornwell boy, but Cornwell Jerk from earlier. It's a small world.

The Cornwell girl was pretty; short, with spiky raven hair, petite frame, and a delicate face. Was _she _his girlfriend? If so, who the hell was that girl from earlier?

I shook that thought from my head. It didn't matter. Who cares who his girlfriend was? I didn't know know who _he _was.

Since he had his face turned to the side as he talked to the girl, he didn't notice me, even though we were so close that our shoulders almost brushed when the two of them walked by. But I knew it was him. And I could recognize that voice from anywhere. It was probably a good thing that he didn't see me; there was no doubt in my mind that he would pick up our banter from earlier and toss me a bunch of insults. And then Emmett and Rose would step in… Oh yeah, things would get really, really ugly.

I sighed and threw my arms around my friends. "Let's talk about this later, alright? I'm starving. Let's go get something to eat."

Rosalie groaned and Emmett shook his head, resigned. They muttered something along the lines of "How can she be thinking about food at a time like this?" but didn't put off my suggestion.

I stayed over at Rosalie's that night since she wasn't comfortable with me being alone at my place. Rosalie was the kind of girl that could fall asleep right away, as soon as her body came in contact with her bed. I wish I were that way too.

What had really happened today? And why was that woman trying to shoot Mrs. Cullen?

* * *

I didn't stop by _Fran's_ for breakfast the next morning since I didn't have much of an appetite. Rose and Emmett walked me to the subway station, jokingly promising me that they'd be my bodyguard for the rest of my life in case the psycho woman showed up and tried to kill me for interfering with her plans the other day. Growing up, I watched a lot of crime scene shows on T.V. Rose, Emmett and I used to act out the roles in CSI: Miami for entertainment purposes. But you know what? Experiencing an actual attempt murder isn't fun at all.

Being back at school, I felt almost normal. I wasn't the girl that had saved Mrs. Cullen, I was just Bella Swan- the girl that most students at St. George ignored; the nerd. I had a couple of friends, like Leah Clearwater and her brother Seth, but we weren't close. We never hung out after school since I never lingered in Manhattan. Bronx was home.

"Yo, Swan," Seth's friend, Jacob Black, put his arm around me after the last bell rang. I never did like that kid. He went after all the girls in school, and was _rejected _by all the girls in school. He wasn't ugly or anything; it was his know-it-all behavior that pissed everyone off.

I shook his arm off with a look of disgust. "What do you want?"

He grinned at me. "I need help-"

I cut him off with a laugh. "Yes, you do. I hear there are a lot of outstanding psychiatrists here."

"With my chemistry homework," he finished, glaring at me. "So?"

"So what?" I countered.

"You gonna help me?"

"No," I almost shouted the word at his face. "Do you remember the last time you asked me to help you out? I ended up having to do your entire project."

"Oh, come on!" he groaned. "That was in ninth grade. I was a stupid freshman."

"You haven't matured much over the past three years so the answer is still no," I shoved him backwards when he tried putting his arm around me again. Asshole. "I have to go."

Putting on the earbuds, I turned up my Ipod to block all the noise in the hallway. A lot of guys here were like animals; I honestly didn't see the attraction when they wrestled, even though a lot of girls would cheer them on from the sidelines.

A fancy black limo was waiting at the entrance of the school when I came through the gate. I saw limos on daily basis but what was it doing outside St. George? Most students here come from financially endowed families- after all, St. George was on Upper East Side- but they weren't super-loaded like those snobs from Cornwell Prep.

The man waiting by the limo, smartly dressed in a tux, took a step toward me just as I was about to turn for the corner building. I believe he said something to me but since I had my earbuds tucked in, I couldn't hear a thing.

"I'm sorry," I tried to smile at him, pressing pause on the song that was currently playing. "What did you say?"

"Are you Miss Bella Swan?"

Oh my God. What had I done now? I tried to sneak a peek at the limo but its windows were tinted dark.

"May I help you?" I asked cautiously.

"My name is Jared, Miss. It's a pleasure to meet the girl that saved my boss's life," he smiled at me, shaking my hand.

"Your boss?" I giggled. "I think you got the wrong person. The person that I saved yesterday was-"

"Me?" The limo door swung open. I gasped when I spotted Mrs. Cullen smiling at me, dressed modishly in formal pant suits. What happened to the woman that I saw yesterday? The one dressed in a worn out polo-shirt and jeans?

"Mrs. Cullen?" The incredulousness was evident in my tone.

"Do you have plans tonight, dear? I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me. I never got the chance to thank you properly yesterday. It was a quite chaotic evening, wasn't it?" she winked at me.

"Umm…" I gulped. "I don't have any plans but you don't have to take me out to dinner to thank me."

"If you don't have any plans then get in the car, dear," she raised her eyebrow when the cars behind her honked. "You wouldn't want to keep all those people behind us waiting, would you?"

Jared prompted me to go in the car and Mrs. Cullen's smile broadened when I stepped into the limo. I didn't have much of a choice, did I? I mean, she was _here_. At my school.

"Jared, to the restaurant."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

**A/N: **I've been to New York once... but I don't know much about it geographically. If I make any funny mistakes throughout the story, I apologize in advance.

So... is anyone interested in betaing this story? If you are, please **PM** me and let me know (if I haven't scared you away with my poor grammar already that is:)))

I'll be posting teasers for this story on my blog: **www(dot)melloveswriting(dot)blogspot(dot)com**. The link is also on my profile. Pics, extra information, as well as WTDA updates will also be posted there.

Please review:D Suggestions and comments are always welcomed.


	3. Proposition

"_With money you are a dragon; with no money, a worm." ~Chinese Proverbs_

**Many thanks to _Emmalynn21 _for betaing this chapter for me!**

* * *

Chapter Two: Proposition

I felt a bit embarrassed for being under-dressed when Mrs. Cullen took me to a high-class Chinese Cuisine. If I had known I would be picked up in a limo and would be having dinner at an extravagant restaurant in Manhattan, I would have worn something other than torn, skinny jeans and a dark blue hoodie. The waitress quirked her eyebrow at me when I walked in with Mrs. Cullen; she seemed displeased when Mrs. Cullen announced I would be dining with her.

Mrs. Cullen smiled at me, taking a sip of the oolong tea that the waitress had poured into our cups after we were shown to our table. "I apologize for showing up at your school without notifying you."

"It's fine," I assured her. "I was just a bit taken aback, that's all."

"How old are you, dear?"

"Seventeen."

"Ah. So you're a junior in high school, I assume?"

"Actually," Oh, man. I really wished my heart would stop pounding. I felt as nervous as a turkey on Thanksgiving. "I'm a senior. I'm a year ahead."

She looked surprised - and impressed. I wanted to tell her that I wasn't a year ahead because I was intelligent; I was a year ahead because my dad thought Kindergarten was a waste of time.

"You're in the same grade as my grandchildren then," she sighed. Her eyes were abruptly softer when her gaze returned to me. "Bella, I want to thank you again for saving my life yesterday. You may say that it was nothing, but it wasn't. Not a lot of people would have the courage to do what you did back there. You're a hero, Bella."

I blushed at her words. While it felt nice to be complimented, I felt slightly embarrassed that she thought so highly of me.

"I'm sure anyone would have done the same."

She chuckled dryly and shook her head. "Trust me, you're wrong to assume that. I have two teenagers under my roof; they would have put their safety ahead of their grandmother's." The waitress brought out the first dish and settled it in front of us. "Let's not spoil our meal by bringing my grandchildren into this. Eat, dear."

I ended up having a lovely time chatting with Mrs. Cullen. My dad's parents died before I was born; my grandparents from my mother's side resided in Australia and I hadn't seen them since I was eight. Mrs. Cullen told me she had one son, who was a surgeon, and two grandchildren. They all lived together, to my astonishment. She asked about my family and I sheepishly told her there wasn't much to tell. Dad was a helmsman, I had no siblings, and as for Mom… I wasn't supposed to say anything about her.

"You live in Bronx?" she seemed incredulous. "Why are you going to school in Manhattan, dear?"

"I don't know, to be honest. My dad has talked about this school since fifth grade but he wouldn't tell me the real reason why he wanted to enroll me at St. George. It's still a mystery to me."

"Well," Mrs. Cullen drew a deep breath. "I don't know your father so I'm not going to question his judgment. Is it inconvenient to get to school every morning?"

"Not at all," I assured her. "Our school is only a block away from the metro station. It's quite convenient."

She pursed her lips with a solemn look on her face. I wondered if I should excuse myself to the restroom so I could check myself in the mirror. Did I have something on my teeth? Why was she looking at me like that?

"It's utterly dangerous for a teenage girl like you to be living alone," she murmured, frowning. "And after what happened yesterday, I don't know if I'd be comfortable with leaving you alone in your home all by yourself. Whoever tried to shoot me is still on the loose…" Then she smiled at me, taking my hand. "Bella, why don't you move in with me? At least until they catch that woman."

"What?" I squeaked, stunned. Okay, either this lady was overly generous or she was insane. She'd been incredibly nice and normal so far, so I didn't dwindle on the latter option.

"I own a five-bedroom apartment on Upper East Side. Your school is only a couple of blocks away from my home; if you live with me, it'd save you a lot of time on transportation. Besides, we have a spare bedroom that we never use."

"Mrs. Cullen," I said, folding my hands on my lap. "I appreciate the concern but it's really unnecessary. Besides, I would hate to impose on your family."_ Who are total strangers to me. _

"Do it for me, hon," She patted my arm. "I'm a lonely old lady who desires company. My son is rarely home; as for my grandchildren…" _Why does she always sigh at the mention of her grandchildren?_ "You're my lifesaver, Bella. The least I can do is to ensure your safety. Besides, I enjoy talking to you. You remind me a lot of myself when I was your age."

"Mrs. Cullen, I…" I closed my eyes, unable to tell her _NO_ right away because she had so much expectation and hope in her eyes. She really wasn't just saying this to show her appreciation; she really _meant_ it. Every word. "Can I have some time to think about this?"

"Of course, dear." She looked a bit let down when she offered me a soft smile. "Please, think it through." We exchanged phone numbers and she made me promise that I'd let her know my answer ASAP. The subject was changed when the waitress came with our main dish.

::::: & :::::

"Wait, so let me get this straight, the lady you saved yesterday… wants you to move in with her family?" It sounded even more ridiculous to my ears when Rosalie repeated what I had just told her.

Mrs. Cullen dropped me off at my apartment and reminded me to call her before I got out of the limo. I called Rosalie as soon as I got in and put Emmett on line three.

"Yeah, that's about right."

Emmett chuckled. "Dude, she picked you up in a limo. Imagine how fancy her house is. Just move in with her. It has to be better than that dump that you call home."

"Hey," I smiled, not offended at all since Emmett had expressed his opinion on my place several times over the years that I had known him. My dad bought this apartment right after he graduated from college; it wasn't exactly family-appropriate, having only one bedroom, a kitchenette, a living room and a bathroom. On the days that Dad was home, he slept on the couch. "This dump is old enough to be your father. Be respectful."

"My point exactly."

"Wait, wait," Rosalie interrupted. "You said she lives with her grandchildren? Both around our age?"

"Yep." I popped the "P". "Both of them are seniors."

"So by grandchildren… are we talking about grandsons here or granddaughters?"

"A grandson _and _a granddaughter."

"Is the grandson cute?" she giggled.

Emmett groaned from his end of the line. He hated it when our conversations "went astray."

"I don't know!" I exclaimed. How could Rose be thinking about boys at a time like this? "I haven't met him yet."

"Bella, seriously, I think she has a point," Emmett's tone was abruptly serious. Sure, Emmett had a playful side, but when he _talked business_, everyone listened. It wasn't just because he was a six-foot-four muscular quarterback who looked as if he was on the wrestling team either.

"Who, Rose?" I scratched the back of my head.

"No, dumbshit!" he chuckled. "Mrs. Cullen. I mean, whoever it was that tried to kill her is still on the loose, like she said. That person could be a serial killer or a psycho. You shouldn't be living alone. It's too dangerous."

"That doesn't mean I should move in with a total stranger!"

"Give me her full name," Emmett demanded. "I'll Google her. If she's as rich as she appears, she should have a page on Wikipedia."

I told him that her name was "Elizabeth Cullen" and I heard an intake of breath from both Emmett and Rosalie. Both lines stayed silent for about ten seconds; I covered my ears when Rosalie suddenly screamed "holy fucking shit" into the phone. Emmett, at the same time, started shrieking "Oh my God! Oh my God!" like Chris Tucker from _The Fifth Element_. Gosh. What was _wrong _with my friends?

"If you don't tell me what you two are going on about, I'm hanging up," I threatened when I saw no signs of them recovering from their stage of hysteria.

"Elizabeth Cullen," Rosalie recited breathlessly. "Bella, she is all but the richest woman on Upper East Side. She's the founder of _Bella Villagio _Coffee!"

I couldn't breathe._ Bella Villagio_. The best coffeehouse in New York. No, scratch that- in the entire country. Rose and I used to go there daily after my art workshop in eighth grade. But I never knew that Mrs. Elizabeth Cullen was the founder. It wasn't as if I would ever Google the history of each restaurant or coffeehouse. I mean, who was the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken or Pizza Hut? I'll bet no one can answer that.

"Dang, girl," Emmett clicked his tongue. "You fucking saved the queen of coffee. You sure know how to pick them."

"For Christ's sake, Emmett, I didn't know who she was!" I cried exasperatedly into the phone. If Mrs. Cullen were any other women, I would have jumped on her, too. Besides, I hadn't even realized that I had leaped on Mrs. Cullen until I sent the both of us to the floor. Adrenaline rush? Hmm… maybe.

Hearing a buzz from Emmett's end of line; Rosalie sighed impatiently. "Emmett, are you with us? If you're watching porn as we speak I swear to God-"

He shushed her and told us to turn our T.V. to channel 18. I did as I was told, curious about what it was that was so important that would capture Emmett's attention at a time like this. Within seconds, I got my answer. It was me.

Not me, precisely, but a video of me jumping on Mrs. Cullen after the gunshot. The video was recorded from afar so my face wasn't clear enough to be recognized, but it captured the entire thing, including me falling on top of Mrs. Cullen after blacking out. After that, it was fast-forwarded, the video playing at normal speed again when the ambulance and the cops arrived.

_Elizabeth Cullen, founder of Bella Villagio, was said to be the victim of the scene. The girl who had thrown herself on Elizabeth has yet been identified, but she is described to be about five-four, a high school or college student. To watch the action of the heroic teenage girl who had saved one of the most influential women in history, please visit our website at…_

I clicked the T.V. off and my knees buckling simultaneously. It was real. The reporter had just confirmed it for me. Mrs. Cullen was indeed the well-known Elizabeth Cullen.

I went on Yahoo and gasped when I saw "Heroic Teenager Saves Elizabeth Cullen!" as the headline of today's news. Feeling my head spin, I skimmed the comments, surprised with the amount of feedback it had already received. 412 comments. A few of them claimed that it was them who saved Mrs. Cullen; a few claimed this was a publicity stunt; a few claimed "The Gray Hoodie Girl" had only jumped on Mrs. Cullen because she knew who she was. On the other hand, there were a few that jumped to my defense and congratulated me on a job well done. The cyber world was insane.

Landing on my bed with a great flop, I let out a frustrated scream into my pillow. How long would it take for the media to discover that _I _was The Gray Hoodie Girl?

"Ah, Jesus!" I yelped when my phone vibrated under the covers. How did it get there in the first place? I thought I had left it on my computer desk. Breathlessly, I clicked on the talk button with trembling fingers, so nervous that I forgot my phone had this thing called Caller ID. "Hello?"

"Bella? This is Elizabeth Cullen."

Relief washed over me at the sound of Mrs. Cullen's voice. "Hi, Mrs. Cullen."

She chuckled. "How are you? I hope you weren't asleep."

"I usually don't go to bed until eleven," I assured her, while slipping out of my jeans and changing into my PJs so I could slip into bed.

"Have you seen the news, dear? About the incident?"

Reluctantly, I told her "yes," though I wished that I hadn't seen it. The last thing I needed was for everyone at school to think that I was trying to play Superwoman. They'd eat me alive if they knew.

"Here's the thing, Bella." For the first time, Mrs. Cullen sounded uncomfortable. Nervous. What a change it was. "For your safety reasons, I don't want your identity to be revealed, not when Ms. BMW is still out here somewhere. I wish to give you recognition for your heroic behavior, but your safety comes first. I hope you don't mind."

"Mrs. Cullen," I interrupted, "like I said, I didn't save you because I wanted to be called a hero or I wanted you to repay me. I had no idea what I was doing until I actually did it. As for not wanting my identity to be revealed, I think that's exactly what I need. It would make my school life a lot easier."

"Alright. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I'd like to discuss the offer that I made to you a couple of hours ago…" she trailed off, sighing. "Bella, I'm worried sick about you being in Bronx all by yourself without a guardian around. We were on T.V., sweetie. Ms. BMW is likely to have seen it already. If she doesn't come after me again, she'll go after you, simply for interfering with her plans. Maybe she won't, but you never know. It never hurts to be cautious and you're not safe, Bella. I'm not going to force you into my home; you have every right to say no, but please don't think you'll be imposing if you accept my offer. I want what is the best for you and I want you to be safe. I meant every word that I said at the restaurant about enjoying your company."

"Mrs. Cullen," I whispered, genuinely touched by her concern. "I…"

"Do this for me, hon - for the sake of my sanity. I'm going mad over here wondering if you're okay, staying alone in that apartment without your father." Her tone was pleading and I felt bad that I had put her in this position. She was Elizabeth Cullen, the top woman of the Manhattan social hierarchy. And she was begging me, Isabella Swan, to live at her five-bedroom penthouse with her family. What did I have to lose? I would be closer to my school, I wouldn't be alone, and I'd be safe. On Wikipedia, it said that Mrs. Cullen was notable for her participation in charity events. Also, from the brief encounter that I had with her yesterday and from the long chat that I had with her tonight, she seemed like a really nice person. Not at all a snob. If she was offering, _so many times, _wouldn't it be incredibly rude to say no? Besides, I _was _a bit curious about how the lives of the Upper East Siders.

"Mrs. Cullen… I..."

* * *

Dad gave the okay on my moving in with the Cullen family. In fact, he encouraged it, since he flipped out when I told him that The Hoodie Girl was none other than his daughter. He spent two hours on the phone with Mrs. Cullen, who had thoroughly explained the situation to him, and the first thing he said to me after that phone call was, "Wow. Good job, Bells."

Tonight was dad's eleventh day away. He was in the middle of the sea somewhere, serving as a helmsman on a ship that contained over two thousand retired rich folks. The cruise was said to last for two months, so dad agreed it was most ideal for me to be under Mrs. Cullen's care until he got back.

Rosalie stayed over Friday night to help me pack. It didn't take long since she went on trips so often that she was all but a professional. It was silly but I felt as if we were saying goodbye; we both had tears in our eyes when Jared, Mrs. Cullen's driver, pulled up in front of my apartment at eight o'clock the next morning.

"Call me when you get settled," she whispered into my ear before I got into the limo. "Keep me posted on the grandson. Let's hope he's cute."

I rolled my eyes at her. Like she didn't have enough cute guys groveling at her feet already...

"Ready to go, Miss Bella?" Jared smiled at both of us.

"Just Bella," I corrected. "And yes, I'm ready. Thanks for picking me up."

He opened the door for me and I got in after thanking him again and waving Rosalie goodbye. Jared told me there was nothing to be nervous about since Mrs. Cullen and her son, Dr. Cullen, were both incredibly happy to have me. There was an explicit admiration in Jared's tone as he spoke of his employer. I caught him smiling as he gave me a list of all the kind things Mrs. Cullen had done for him in the past: she took him in when he dropped out of school and had nowhere to go; he'd been working for the Cullen family for over fifteen years. That surprised me since he didn't look a day over thirty.

The doorman greeted me with a bow when we reached the building; Jared told me to go on ahead when I offered to help him with the luggage. Living on Upper East Side… All I could think was wow. And whoa. The picturesque building in front of me deepened my curiosity about the interiors of the apartment. Comparing my apartment to this place as like comparing a mansion to a shack. Even with this kind of thoughts in my head, I hadn't forgotten my reluctance on coming here in the first place. I was imposing. Yes, Mrs. Cullen and possibly her son welcomed me, but only because they wanted me to be safe. Who would _want _a stranger under their roof? If the situation were reversed, I would have just sent me a bodyguard.

I followed Jared into the elevator and drew a sharp breath when the door opened, denoting we were on the fifth story._ Driver, doorman… What's next, a maid? _I thought to myself incredulously. The apartment wasn't as small as it had looked. In fact, it was quite spacious. What caught my eye right off my bat was the beautiful fireplace on the wall. As a child, I had begged my dad to get us a fireplace every year on Christmas Eve. Well, not every year, but the years we could spend the holidays together. Of my seventeen Christmas Eves, I'd only spent six of them with dad. The rest I spent with Rosalie, her parents, and her adopted little brother, Felix, who had been a part of her family since she turned eleven.

Mrs. Cullen rose from the couch with so much poise and grace that I almost curtsied and blundered out "your highness." The hug she gave me made me feel less jumpy about the entire situation.

"It's great to see you, Bella. You remember my son, Carlisle, and this is our housekeeper, Mrs. Valdez."

Mrs. Valdez, who I'd guessed was in her fifties, smiled at me and took my hand. Dr. Cullen came forward, offering a handshake, and clapping me on the shoulder. "Welcome, Bella. I never did get the opportunity to thank you for saving my mother's life."

I smiled shyly. "You have a very beautiful home."

Mrs. Cullen clasped her hands together and drew me to the staircase. The way she took me by the arm as she gave the introductions of her apartment made me smile. This was a three-story apartment, according to her. Her bedroom and Dr. Cullen's bedroom were on the sixth floor; his grandson's and granddaughter's rooms were on the seventh, with mine - the guest bedroom. Right away I loved the style of her apartment. It was classy and elegant. A lot like Mrs. Cullen.

My room was at the end of the corridor and I felt as if the breath had been knocked out of me when she opened the door. It was twice the size as my bedroom back in Bronx. There was a huge closet, a plasma screen on the wall, and a small table in the corner of the room. The room itself was painted light green, with hints of white, but the beige carpet was what made the room look bright.

"Is this alright?" Mrs. Cullen asked hesitantly after taking in my reaction.

"It's great!" I chuckled. "Thanks, Mrs. Cullen. I really appreciate it."

"Okay, none of that Mrs. Cullen nonsense while you're under my roof," She shook her head. "Just Grandma Cullen or Gran, whatever suits you. Well, I'll leave you to unpack. If you need anything just call me or call Mrs. Valdez. Oh, before I forget, there's a bathroom on each floor. It's the first door to your right."

"Thank you."

She checked her watch and walked over to the door. "I have a phone call to make… We'll be starting lunch at noon. Make yourself at home, sweetie. I mean it." The door closed quietly behind her and I flopped into a chair, studying the room more carefully. My living room could fit into this room. How ridiculous.

Unpacking was difficult for me, as I had never moved out of the Bronx apartment in my life. Believe it or not, there were lights _inside_ the closet; I couldn't stop giggling as I hung my clothes. A knock on my door made me jump a mile. Since I was used to living alone, I tended to forget that there were other people in the apartment.

"Come in," I hollered. Then realizing I probably sounded impolite, I added "Please." Daddy would be so proud of me, turning miraculously polite overnight.

"Miss Bella, lunch will be ready in ten minutes. Do you need help with unpacking?" Mrs. Valdez poked her head around the door.

"I'm just about finished, Mrs. Valdez," I smiled at her. "And thanks. I'll be done in ten minutes."

"Silvia, please," she corrected me.

"Just Bella," I told her. Addressing me as Miss sounded weird to my ears. Not to mention Silvia was almost old enough to be my grandmother.

Lunch wasn't as awkward as I had thought it would be. Mrs. Cullen's- I mean Grandma's- grandchildren weren't home, so it was just me, her, and Dr. Cullen. Dr. Cullen asked about my school and politely praised St. George when I brought up its name. The chances were he probably hadn't even heard of that school.

Dr. Cullen left the house at around two and Grandma went to her room to take a nap. Since I stayed up late last night packing with Rosalie, I wasn't in my best shape. Having nothing to do, I ended up falling asleep in my room. I considered calling Rosalie but I was feeling too worn out to talk. She was probably asleep as well, having to wake up so early this morning just to see me off. Even though Bronx was only a couple of minutes away, I was already starting to feel homesick. Not home, to be precise. But friends. I missed Em and Rose.

::::: & :::::

When I got up, it was already a little after six in the evening. My first day in Mrs. Cullen's house and I was already sleeping like a pig. _Bet she isn't so fond of you now_, I thought to myself sarcastically. Tentatively, I tiptoed to the door- which sounds rather stupid now considering I was probably the only one upstairs- and poked my head around the door to see if the coast was clear. Just as I was about to walk out of the room, I pulled back, wanting to check myself in the mirror first before I went. Unlike Rosalie, I didn't have a lot of grooming products. I brought shampoo, conditioner and soap… Shoot. I left my lotion in the bathroom cabinet back home.

I took a deep breath before walking out of the bedroom. And then I froze, my fingers tightening around the knob as I contemplated whether Mrs. Cullen would expect me to join them for dinner or if lunch was just a welcoming meal. But either way, I had to go down there. Otherwise they were going to think I passed out in my room or something.

Strolling down the corridor with my hands in my hoodie pocket, I jumped and let out a yelp when the door of the first room abruptly swung open. The pair of green eyes that was staring right back at me widened.

"What the fuck are you doing at my house, _St. George_?"

Dazed, I blinked at the boy before me without uttering a word and stood as still as a statue. _My house. _He said "my house". Which meant Cornwell Jerk was…

Fuck. Mrs. Cullen's grandson. You have got to be kidding me.

"Are you fucking deaf or something?" he snapped, waving his hand in front of my face with increasing impatience.

I shook myself out of my stupor and groaned. This could not be happening. I mean, there was no way this asshole could be Mrs. Cullen's grandson. Mrs. Cullen was polite and humble. Cornwell Jerk was… not.

"If you don't fucking start talking I'm gonna call the cops," he threatened, taking his phone out of the pocket of his dark jeans.

"Edward!" A voice chided from the staircase, taking both of us by surprise. I hadn't heard Mrs. Cullen approach us, and apparently neither had his grandson since he gave a little jump and muttered, "Fuck," under his breath. "Is that the proper way to treat our guest?"

"What guest?" I was surprised by the harshness in his tone when he all but spat the words at his grandmother. So he wasn't only hostile toward me. The fact should have made me feel better but it didn't.

"I told you a guest would be staying with us from now on," Mrs. Cullen sighed. "Do you ever listen, Edward? I've been talking about the girl who saved my life for the past week. That girl is Bella."

Edward let out a sneer and gave me the Manhattan onceover. I don't know why I suddenly felt unconscious under his gaze.

"Is this some kind of a joke?" he laughed humorously to himself, and I smelled the alcohol in his breath. "You expect me to believe this… this…" He gestured at my frame with his hands. "_Girlie _here saved your life? Gran, I know I'm not an A-average student but I'm not a moron."

"Enough!" Mrs. Cullen cut him off with a glower. I'd never seen her looking this way before. During the time that we had spent together, Mrs. Cullen was always friendly and inviting, warm and easygoing. "Apologize."

"No." Cornwell Jerk pressed his lips into a hard line. Then after shooting me another look of belligerence, he walked away, just like that. How could he behave like this in front of his _grandmother_?

"Dinner is ready. Where do you think you're going, young man?"

"Out."

Before his grandmother could say anything else, he sprinted down the stairs.

Mrs. Cullen sighed and muttered something under her breath in French. The smile that she threw me was sad and resigned, and I hated Cornwell Jerk- Edward- for it. I wanted to comfort her, but I couldn't seem to find the words to say. Besides, it wasn't my place to get myself involved in their family affairs.

"Let's have supper, shall me?"

"Of course," I smiled at Mrs. Cullen, looking away when I saw her take a deep breath with her eyes closed.

The table had already been set by the time we got to the dining room. A pretty, tiny girl of my age was sitting beside Dr. Cullen, and I later recognized her as the girl that I had seen walking beside Edward at the hospital.

"Alice, meet Bella, Grandma's lifesaver," Dr. Cullen chuckled. "Bella, this is my daughter, Alice."

I uttered a polite "Hello" and Alice smiled in acknowledgement. Maybe "pretty" wasn't the correct word to describe Alice; she was gorgeous. She had the kind of skin that any girl would die for and her stylish, spiky raven hair really brought out the blueness of her eyes._ Mrs. Cullen had a good-looking family_, I thought to myself.

"It's nice to meet the girl who Gran has been going on and on about for the last seven days," She rolled her eyes at her grandmother playfully. "It was quite brave of you to jump on Gran like that. I saw the video on Youtube."

My cheeks turned hot at her comment and I thanked her. I was sure she wasn't happy about having me at her house- and could I blame her? A stranger, out of nowhere, who suddenly moved into the spare room by her bedroom. That was me.

"So was that Edward that I saw sprinting like a mad man out of the house?" she asked, glancing at the front door. "What is he on this time?"

Her tone suggested that she wasn't particularly fond of her brother. Then again, with an attitude like his, who would be fond of him?

"Yes," Mrs. Cullen scowled. "He was quite rude to our guest."

Alice snickered while Dr. Cullen just looked annoyed. However, neither of them seemed taken aback with that particular piece of information.

"Why are you surprised, Gran?" Alice flashed her teeth at Mrs. Cullen. "Edward doesn't have a polite bone in his body."

Dinner turned out to be surprisingly nice. The most unnerving part was where Alice kept on throwing suspicious, curious glances at me, but I wasn't put out with her because I understood where she was coming from. She excused herself to her room after dessert and so did her father, who had yawned several times throughout the meal with bloodshot eyes.

I sat in the living room with Mrs. Cullen when the dining table was cleared. Silvia, the housekeeper, made us some apple cider before she left for the night. Mrs. Cullen asked about my friends- Emmett and Rosalie- and seemed genuinely interested when I told her how we met. I had a feeling that her grandchildren didn't chat with her very often, if not at all. It seemed to me that even though she was rich, she didn't have a lot of company- especially not from her family.

At around midnight, Edward fumbled into the living room, appearing to be seriously drunk. Mrs. Cullen sighed but didn't reprimand him on coming home late; was this something that happened often?

"It's funny," she laughed bitterly, when Edward was out of sight. "I'm Elizabeth Cullen; I have thousands of employees yet I can't handle my own grandson." She shook her head gravely. "Carlisle was never like this when he was little. Alice might be spoiled, but she isn't volatile. I don't know what happened to Edward. Carlisle and I were too easy on him while he was growing up."

"Alice seems nice," I told her, wanting to change the subject.

"She's a good girl," Mrs. Cullen agreed solemnly. "But I wish she could sort out her priorities."

I didn't understand what she meant by that but I didn't ask. We acted as if Edward hadn't happened and resumed to our conversation from earlier.

Twenty minutes later, we yawned and said our goodnights. Grabbing my bag of toiletries from my room, I walked over to the bathroom and twisted the knob. Simultaneously, the door swung open violently and I fell backwards in surprise.

"First, you don't watch where you're going, now you don't_ knock_?" Edward mocked in the same tantalizing tone that he had used with me earlier. Shirtless Edward, who had just come out of the shower wearing nothing but a pair of pajama pants that were hung low on his hips. His eyebrows knitted into a frown as he stared at me, the annoyance and distaste he felt toward me blatant.

With my breath caught in my throat, I muttered an apology and told him I didn't know anyone was in the restroom. Even though the guy was a dick, he really was good-looking. He was built- toned but not overly muscular with scary biceps like those guys on the wrestling team at school. Defined jawline, angular nose, high, chiseled cheekbones…

God, what was _wrong_ with me?

"Are you gonna move out of my way? Or do you plan on sleeping on the floor tonight?" The way he glanced at me made me feel like an imbecile.

Pressing my lips together, I got to my feet and gestured toward his room with a sarcastic bow. He sneered at me, rolled his eyes and sauntered to his room, drying his hair with the towel he had around his neck. He slammed the door shut without another word.

Jesus. Cornwell Jerk should attend an anger management class just to get all of that angst out.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you guys so much for reviewing the last chapter! And huge thanks to those of you who offered to beta this story. So Edward and Bella finally meet... Edward is _not _a player in this story- he's just a jerk but he won't stay that way forever. This Edward will be different from WTDA's Edward. I'm quite excited about developing his character.

I know the Edward&Bree and Bella&Riley pairings are unusual . I was so impressed with Xavier Samuel after watching Eclipse that I felt I just had to bring Riley into the story somehow. As for Bree... I guess I'm just sick of putting Edward with Tanya, Lauren, or Jessica. Bree and Riley will be a huge part of the story, but the story _is _about Bella and Edward, so please don't worry.

Pics for this story can be found on my blog. I've grown very attached to photo-editing so I'll be posting lots of pics from now on. Pics of the main characters from this story, as well as Mrs. Cullen's apartment, can be found there. The link is on my profile!

Thanks for reading. _Please review! _And don't apologize for leaving long reviews. I love reading them. Suggestions, constructive criticism are always welcomed.


	4. He's The Man

"Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping." ~ _Bo Derek (American actress)_

****

Thank you so much, Emmalynn21, for beta'ing!

* * *

Chapter Three: He's The Man

_Edward Cullen_

I groaned when my alarm clock went off, nearly knocking it over my bedside table when I reached for the snooze button. Fucking seven a.m. in the morning- way too early to be up on a Sunday. Since Gran was finicky about family breakfast though, I had no choice but to get down there; otherwise she'd nag about it for at least a week. Life sucked.

Sighing, I rolled out of bed and headed straight for the bathroom. I really, really needed to piss, thanks to all the alcohol that Jasper poured down my throat last night. The tipsiness hadn't left my system; I fumbled like a toddler to the door and cursed when I stubbed my toe. Who the hell had put my textbooks by the door? I was bound to walk into them on my way out. Then I remembered that it was me who did that stupid shit after school on Friday, and my aggravation deepened.

As if that wasn't bad enough already, fucking Lady Gaga began blaring from Alice's room the second I stepped into the corridor. The worst had yet to come. I mean, at least my tone-deaf sister hadn't started singing along. My mistake - screeching along.

Happy that my bladder hadn't exploded before I made it to the bathroom, I smiled when my fingers reached the door knob. The joy dissolved as soon as I realized the door was locked. I pounded the door with my fists and threatened to kick it down if Alice didn't hurry up with her shit. She loves hogging the bathroom; it usually takes about an hour for her to take a shower. How she doesn't turn into a prune whenever she comes out, I haven't figured out.

After what seemed like a lifetime of waiting - it didn't occur to me that I could use the bathroom downstairs. Did I mention it was 7 a.m. on a Sunday morning? Most people would be in bed - the door finally opened, but it wasn't Alice that walked out, as I had expected. It was Bella Swan. My grandmother's so-called lifesaver.

She didn't utter a word to me, which was good because I honestly couldn't stand it if she told me good morning.

"Aw, crap," I made a face. "I thought I had dreamt about you moving into our house, yet I wake up this morning and here you are. What a fucking nightmare."

She laughed and looked away dismissively, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Trust me, the feeling is mutual."

I didn't know this Swan girl, but somehow the thought of her pissed me off to no end. Gran and Dad adored her for her "heroic act;" Alice wasn't thrilled about having her at our house, but she wasn't oppose to it either. Was I the only one that felt uncomfortable with having a stranger under our roof? Yeah, Swan saved Gran and that was great and all, but did Gran have to be this generous? Most people would be satisfied with a "thank you" and a check.

"Next time use the bathroom downstairs."

"Why don't you use it?" she countered, her left eyebrow quirked.

"Are you crazy? I'm not going to walk all the way down there just to piss and brush my teeth."

"Well, neither am I. I guess you'll just have to get over it." I don't believe it. This girl was challenging me. At my own house. The nerve of her… "Can I go now?"

I blinked at her, slightly taken aback by her question. "What?"

She sighed and tapped her foot, rolling her eyes heavenwards. "You're blocking the exit."

Glaring, I moved out of the doorway and felt anger bubbling under my skin as I watched her sway to her room, appearing as if she didn't have a care in the world. Gran accused me of having attitude problems?

After taking care of my business, I walked downstairs and took the spot across from Alice at the dining room table. I greeted my grandmother, who later disappeared to retrieve something from the living room, and acknowledged my dad with a nod when he came in with today's paper in his hand.

"Nice dress," I told my sister, even though I personally thought whoever the designer was went overboard with the red. "Where did you get it from?"

She raised her eyebrow at me. Alice knew me too well. "What is it that you want?"

"English homework," I admitted. "It's due tomorrow and I have nothing."

"When are you going to start doing your own work?" she sighed.

"I'll start when you quit shopping," I teased. "Come on! You're smart. Kinda. It'd take you less than twenty minutes to whip up another report."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Good morning." I jumped in my seat when St. George walked in with Gran, laughing over something Gran had told her.

"Good morning, Bella," Dad greeted her with a smile the same time Alice murmured "Hey."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Very well, thanks."

Of course she had a nice night of sleep. It was a three-thousand-dollar bed, for Christ's sake. The guest bedroom was every bit as comfortable as the rest of the bedrooms.

St. George looked hesitant when Gran told her to take a seat. There were only two vacant chairs; one by me and one by Alice. Without throwing me a glance, she sat down beside my sister. Good. I guess I made it clear that she wasn't welcomed here.

"What are you kids up to today?" asked Dad, though it was obvious that his question was mostly meant for me.

"I'm going out with Jasper today," Alice beamed. "He got us reservations at this amazing restaurant that all the celebs go to and recommend… Who knows? Maybe we'll meet someone there…like Jude Law."

This is exactly why I was against the idea of Jasper and Alice dating. My best friend and my sister - the thought of it used to frustrate me. They were head over heels in love with each other, though, so who was I to stand in their way? After all, Alice could have ended up with someone worse. At least I was sure that Jasper would take good care of her. They'd been together for almost three years now and their relationship still seemed to be going strong.

"Are you going to be gone all day? What about my English report?" I asked.

"You can work on it yourself," Alice retorted. "You know, by actually reading the book and by using this thing in your head called brain."

Smart-ass.

"Well, I can't read a five-hundred page novel in a day!" I complained, not realizing how much I sounded like Lauren Mallory, the whiniest bitch at school. "I have plans!"

St. George emitted a snicker. Indignantly, I whipped my head to her direction and glared at her, not knowing what I had done to amuse her. Who did she think she was? Laughing at me at my own house?

"What?" I hissed.

"Nothing. Just… ignore me." She looked down to her lap, pressing her lips together to hold back another giggle. Yes, that was exactly what I should do. I'd ignore her. Bella Swan did not exist.

"I'm going out," I said to Gran, when I spotted her on the couch reading Times. After breakfast, Alice all but sprinted out of the house when Jared announced that Jasper's limo had already arrived. Dad went to the study room to do… work stuff, and St. George left the house after getting a call.

She looked up from her magazine. "Oh, well, be safe."

Grandma was the only female parental figure that I had in my life while I was growing up. Mom was out of the picture a long time ago. She just packed up and left without saying goodbye after… that happened. Alice and I were only nine years old; my sister didn't understand why Mommy would just pull a disappearing act like that but I did, unfortunately. No one knew that I knew and I planned to keep it that way. If the truth got out, it'd break Dad and Alice.

I told Jared to drop me off at Central Park. Bree had texted me and told me to meet her there this morning, and having nothing to do, I agreed. Jasper was out playing "lovestruck teen" with my sister, Alec was probably passed out in someone's tub, Garrett's sorry ass was still in juvenile hall… Fucking boring day.

Bree Tanner and I have been good friends since we were fifteen. She was pretty much the only female friend that I had, since the rest of the girls at my school were freaking obnoxious. Aside from Jasper, she was the only friend that I could have serious talks with. Her father, Adrian Tanner, was the principal at Cornwell. I would have been expelled a long time ago if he hadn't gotten my ass out of trouble with the school board every time.

Bree was sitting on the bench, her lips stretching into a huge smile when I came into sight. She got to her feet, smoothed her sundress, and waved. She looked nice.

"Why are we meeting in central park?" I chuckled. "It's fucking hot outside."

"I love this park," she protested. "It's got trees and sidewalks…"

"And what park doesn't?" I teased. "But whatever. I'm here. So what do we do now?"

She shrugged, pressing her lips together as she contemplated. "Take a walk? Chat?"

Not my idea of an exciting Sunday, but whatever. It wasn't as if I had anything better to do. She surprised me when she tucked her arm in mine, but I didn't shake it off because I didn't want to hurt her feelings. Bree and I… we have a complicated relationship. Most people think that she's my girlfriend, but we never did talk about our relationship status. Well, she tried to, but I always ended up changing the subject. We hang out, kiss, flirt… and if that makes her my girlfriend, then I guess she is. You just won't ever catch me saying, "Hey, this is Bree- my girlfriend". She just happens to be a friend that is a girl. A pretty girl that most guys would die to have.

"Remember I told you the girl who saved my grandmother will be staying with us from now on?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I wanted to ask you about that. How are things with her?"

Bree widened her eyes when I told her it was the St. George girl that had stepped on her foot last week. People don't kid when they say it's a small world, do they? She didn't protest when I abruptly changed the subject, having had enough of Bella Swan. That was what I liked about Bree; she didn't pry.

I took her to this fancy Japanese restaurant that I knew she liked for lunch but was as expensive as hell. After having our meal, we caught a movie and I drove her home- well, Jared did- since she had to meet her cousins who came all the way from Washington for dinner. She asked me to tag along but I turned down her offer, saying I still had that English report that I hadn't gotten started on- even though we both knew that was just an excuse. But she didn't mind. She knew how I was.

I bumped into St. George outside our apartment building and she raised her eyebrow briefly when she saw me. Maybe she was expecting me to start another banter, but to be honest, I knew I was a dick to her during the both times we had talked. She had caught me at bad times; I was drunk last night when I first saw her and I'm always a grouch in the morning. I decided to make it up to her by keeping my mouth shut this time. Normally, I wouldn't care if I offended someone, but considering she did save my grandmother's life, I guess I should apologize. And this was my way of apologizing.

It was awkward to wait for the elevator with her in the lobby. She stared straight at the screen that displayed which floor the elevator was on and let out a sharp breath when she saw it come down. Obviously, this wasn't any more comfortable for her as it was for me.

Both of us made a move to get in the second the elevator dinged. My chin hit the top of her head, and I yelped and pulled away from her. What was with this girl?

"What the hell was that?" Damn, St. George's hardheaded. Literally, I thought to myself as I rubbed my chin.

"Haven't you ever heard of 'ladies first'?" She looked irked. Then flashing a patronizing smirk at me, she said, "What do they teach you at Cornwall?"

Oh, hell no. She did not just quote me. My dad used to do that all the time but coming from her, it felt a hundred times worse. Grandma's lifesaver or not, I couldn't let her talk to me like that. I'm Edward Cullen and I don't take shit from anyone.

"They taught us what St. George obviously failed to teach you," I countered, chuckling. "Watch where you walk."

She shot me a dirty look and stepped into the elevator. I rolled my eyes and sighed intentionally and loudly, snickering internally when I saw her balling her hands into fists. I was getting on her nerves; at least she knew how I felt for a change.

She stalked out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened. The idea of her being pissed at me brightened my mood, as twisted as that sounds. Silvia raised her eyebrow at me when I came through the front door with a grin on my face.

"Mrs. Cullen is out," she told me, though it never occurred to me to ask. "She's having tea with someone from Atmore Enterprise."

I grimaced. Atmore Enterprise… which meant Gran was having tea with Jessica Stanley, daughter of the founder of the company. She was a nightmare. Fake and unnaturally blonde and big-boobed… Now usually I wouldn't mind the six-year gap, but that girl was crazy. She had gotten a hold of my number and had called me twenty-six times in less than twenty-four hours after we met. I ended up having to change my number. Psychotic bitch. I hoped she wasn't eating Grandma alive.

"What-the-hell-ever," I said in a sing-song tone. "Can you fix me something to eat? Like a blueberry pie or something?"

She looked down to the vacuum that she was holding. "I have to get the house cleaned, Edward. Later, alright?"

"Sure, sure," I waved dismissively, already moving toward the stairs. "Just hurry 'cause I really need some sweets in my system." I would have just brought something from the store, but Silvia's freshly-baked blueberry pie was fucking epic. It has been my favorite dessert since I was old enough to have something that was not baby food.

Irritated with the beads of sweat rolling from my forehead, I wiped my face with the back of my hand then decided to give up and just take a shower. The black shirt that I was wearing had absorbed so much heat while I was out that it made me feel as if I were about to have a heatstroke.

Stripping out of my clothes, I climbed into the shower and let out a sigh of contentment when the cold water hit my skin. I wondered if Silvia had gotten started on my pie… and if she had, how long would I have to wait for it to be ready? The fact that me, Edward Cullen, was home on a Sunday afternoon taking a goddamn shower, thinking about blueberry pies, made me laugh. Since when had I turned into this pathetic shit?

* * *

_Bella Swan_

I made plans to meet up with Riley after breakfast. I hadn't seen him since he went on that London trip to visit his father; I missed him. He was the only person outside of Mrs. Cullen's family that knew about my being The Hoodie Girl, of course, excluding Dad, Rosalie and Emmett.

"Bella!"

The moment I spotted Riley and heard him call my name from the park bench, my lips stretched involuntarily into a wide smile. His hair was longer. His eyes were bluer. He looked gorgeous. Really, really, gorgeous.

His presence automatically made me feel safe and at ease. That was his charisma, and one of the many things that I loved about him. Hanging out with him was as comfortable and easy as breathing.

"Here's my favorite New Yorker!" He chuckled, pulling me into a hug. "I missed you, Bella. You look great."

"I missed you, too. You do still speak American English, right? Or have you developed a hot British accent while you were in London?" I teased. "I bet European girls were all over you."

He grinned at me. "I told them I left my heart behind in New York with someone very special." His eyes softened as he tucked a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. My heart accelerated at his words.

I cleared my throat. I always clear my throat in awkward, nerve-wracking moments. "So what are we having for lunch? I'm buying."

"No way," he chuckled. "My treat. I was thinking we could go to that new Italian restaurant… what do you think? It's a great place to talk."

"Hey, as long as we're getting food," I elbowed him playfully.

Why Riley would want to hang out with me, a girl three years his junior, who was still in high school, was a mystery to me. But despite the age gap between us, I always had fun on our "dates." He went on at great length about all the beautiful architects that he saw while he was in Europe. The way his eyes lit up as he talked about the buildings made me smile. I asked him once why he didn't study engineering when his heart was clearly not in finance; his answer then was that he was expected to be the next in line for the family business.

When he asked for details regarding the shooting, I couldn't help but gnaw at my fingernails. I hadn't really talked about it with anyone other than Rose and Em, but I knew I could share this with Riley because he was a hundred percent trustworthy. He said that he had seen the clip on Youtube - and jokingly remarked that he had left a comment- and seemed to be even more impressed when I informed him that I didn't want people to know my identity. It wasn't about modesty or selflessness. I just didn't want to get picked on in school because some of the assholes would no doubt give me a hard time.

Since Riley had a family friend visiting from out of town and I made plans to hang out with Emmett after his dentist appointment, we left the restaurant at about two. He offered to walk me to Baskin-Robbins on 1st avenue, but I told him to go on ahead since he was already running late. Emmett was already on his second scoop of ice cream when I'd arrived, even though I was exactly on time. He waved at me with a goofy grin on his face when I slide into the booth in front of him.

"Hey, hey, hey," he sang. "Hero Girl - so nice of you to join me today."

I shushed him and he snickered, enjoying my discomfort. A little girl walked by our table and shot a terrified glance at Emmett as she took in his tattoos and muscles. He winked at her, and she broke into a run shrieking, "Mommy?" I suppose Emmett had somewhat an intimidating appearance; he was tall for his age and pretty much the strongest guy that I knew. But underneath the tough exterior, he was just a teddy bear with a big heart. He tutored unprivileged children in the afternoon twice a week for free, something most people found hard to believe- even his parents. At first, they thought he had involved himself with a gang when they noticed his disappearances on Fridays and Saturdays.

"So has Rosalie called you yet?" I asked. "I haven't been able to get a hold of her."

"No. Speaking of Rosalie… has she said anything to you about me?" Emmett's face was flushed. Was my best friend… blushing? At the mention of Rosalie?

"No. We talked yesterday morning but that was it. Why?"

"Nothing!" he chuckled, refusing to meet my eyes. "Hey, you haven't even ordered your ice cream yet. You cannot leave Baskin-Robbins without having ice cream. It's a sin."

I sighed, a bit upset that he threw the bait and just left me hanging there. "Em, just tell me what's going on."

"Fine, fine. Just go get some ice cream; then we'll talk. Oh, get me another scoop of chocolate fudge while you're there. Thanks, B."

Emmett was doodling on a napkin when I returned.

"Here you go - chocolate fudge with caramel syrup and chocolate sprinkles," I handed him the cone. "Now, tell me what's going on before I go mad."

He shifted in his seat uncomfortably and smiled. "I don't know how to start. You should let Rosalie tell you."

"Rosalie?"

Why would Emmett tell Rosalie something and be uncomfortable with telling me about it? We were a trio- there were no secrets among us, at least that was what I had always thought.

"Yeah - coming from her would probably be better."

"Em," I cut him off with a chuckle. "Just tell me. My head is on the brink of exploding with the thoughts of possibilities."

He sighed and pinched his nose.

"I asked Rosalie out."

I blinked at him, unable to process what he had just told me.

"I'm sorry. I might be going crazy over here but did you say-"

"I asked Rosalie out," he repeated, sounding more confident this time.

Emmett liked Rosalie? I mean, yeah, obviously he did since we were best friends, but I never guessed that he liked liked her- I don't know how to put it in another way without sounding childish. Plus, I always thought he had a thing for Heidi, this girl that we had gone to middle school with. Rosalie had always hated her, and I guess now I knew why.

"Wow," I drew a sharp breath. "How long have you… liked her?"

"I've had a crush on her since fifth grade," he smiled bashfully. "Remember that box of Valentine's Day chocolate from her anonymous admirer? That was me." I stifled my gasp and gaped at him with shock. "But I've never said anything because I didn't want to ruin our friendship. I mean, if she didn't feel the same way, things would get pretty awkward."

"So what encouraged you to ask her out all of a sudden?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. One day I just woke up and thought, 'Hey, what if we both go off to college without knowing what could have been?' It's senior year… nothing should be left unsaid."

I nodded at him with a smile. Senior year. God, I can't believe Emmett, Rosalie and I have been friends for seventeen years already.

"So," he cracked a small smile at me. "Are you cool with this? I know it must be a surprise to you but…"

"I'm happy for you," I assured him. Rosalie and Emmett… they were nothing alike, but if they had feelings for each other, who was I to stand in their way? At least I knew Emmett wouldn't hurt her like all the other bastards that she had dated in the past.

My best friend and my best friend… together. So what did that mean for our trio now? I mean, where did that leave me? For the first time, I felt completely left out.

Two more orders of ice cream later, Emmett and I left Baskin-Robbins. He, like Riley, offered to walk me back to Mrs. Cullen's place but I declined because I felt needed some time alone to think things through. My mood turned sour when I spotted Edward in front of the apartment building. I waited for him to start another pointless, insulting conversation, but he surprisingly kept his mouth shut. He hadn't acknowledged me either, but I was okay with that as long as he didn't start running that mouth.

When the elevator got to the first floor, both of us shifted forward to get in. What I hadn't anticipated on was that our body would collide. Since his chin hit the top of my head, I would like to think he got the worst out of the two of us. I had to refrain myself from laughing when he cursed and yelped like a little boy who had just scraped his knee.

Silvia was vacuuming when I came in. I offered to help as I had nothing to do but she declined, saying I must have had something better to do on a Sunday afternoon. Then hearing Edward approaching, I trotted toward the staircase. That boy should equate the definition of A-hole. It was understandable that he disliked me since he disliked pretty much everyone, but that didn't mean I was going to put up with his attitude, Mrs. Cullen's grandson or not.

Sighing, I flopped into bed and got out my sketch book and black pen. Art has been a part of my life for so long- it was the only thing besides my friends that I could rely on. For the past couple of days, I had been drawing Mrs. BMW's BMW, and the scene where she pointed the gun at Mrs. Cullen. I couldn't shake that image out of my head. I didn't understand why someone like Mrs. Cullen would be the target of an assassination. There were plenty of rich people in New York, some probably richer than Mrs. Cullen. Was she simply at the wrong place at the wrong time?

I dropped my pen when the walls of my room began vibrating as loud rock music blared. My ears were on the brink of bleeding. Yeah, I loved Green Day, but not when it was this loud.

With frustration, I marched to Edward's room with long strides and knocked on his door. I didn't know why I bothered; it wasn't as if he could hear me with the music overlapping every sound in the house.

"Hey!" I yelled as I pounded my fists on his door. "Keep it down!"

I couldn't even hear my own voice so I figured it was unlikely that he would get up and open the door. With no second thoughts, I threw the door open, the nerves gnawing away at my confidence from earlier when I saw Edward lying on his bed with nothing but a pair of jeans on. He had his eyes closed with a peaceful look so I assumed he was asleep. How can he be asleep with the music screaming into his ears?

"Hey!" I shouted. "Hey, wake up."

Pathetic. He didn't even stir. Not wanting to touch him, I chucked one of the jackets that was hanging over the back of his chair at his face. He shot up at the contact.

He seemed stunned when he saw me standing in his doorway with my arms crossed. Nevertheless, it took him less than three seconds to go from Surprisedward to Dickward.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing in my room, St. George?" He turned the music down, stomped up to me, and jabbed his index finger at my face, as if he was about to poke my eye out. "What are you, stalking me or something? I'm going to sue you for trespassing on private land."

"I was just going to ask you to keep the music down," I glared at him. "The walls were falling apart."

"I doubt that," he scoffed. "If you don't like the way I listen to music, then move out. You won't find me stopping you."

Gosh. Why was he was… infuriating? It wasn't just the things he said either. It was the way he talked to me, as if he was high above me and that I should be grateful that he was even acknowledging my presence.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. You cannot punch or slap him, I recited to myself repeatedly. Physical violence is not the answer. Do not hit him, no matter how much you want to. Do not hit him.

"Just please keep the music down," I told him as impassively as I could. "Please. For the sake of your ears and mine and everyone else's in this neighborhood, keep the volume down."

He mimicked the sarcastic bow that I had shown him the very first night and smirked when I trotted out of his room. As soon as I closed my bedroom door, the music came back up, perhaps even louder than before.

One thing was clear - Edward Cullen was not going to make my life with the Cullens easy.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry I haven't updated for over two weeks. I've been busy with my studies but now I'm back.

Thank you for reviewing the last chapter! You guys are amazing:D I tried my best to reply to all the reviews for the last chapter; if I missed you, I apologize. I'll try again with Chapter 3.

The drama hasn't begun. I know nothing much has happened in these early chapters, but please be patient with me:) And Jasper _will _be in this story. I love him too much to exclude him.

**Please review! **


	5. Damages Part I

Thank you guys so much for reviewing the last chapter! I hope I responded to every one of you. Huge thanks to the wonderful **Emmalynn21** for editing!

-:-

"Money doesn't change men, it merely unmasks them. If a man is naturally selfish or arrogant or greedy, the money brings that out, that's all."_ ~Henry Ford_

(I adore these money quotes!)

* * *

Chapter Four: Damages (Part One)

_Edward Cullen_

I could not get the satisfaction of pissing Bella Swan off out of my system. The look on her face as she stormed out of my room was priceless! If only I had videotaped it…

Esme, my dad's girlfriend of three years and who was now also his fiancée, joined us for breakfast. I wasn't thrilled with the idea of my dad remarrying - why bother when the first time worked out _so well_? - but if I had to have a stepmother, I was glad that it was Esme. She was genuine and sweet-tempered - the total opposite of my dad. Why a free spirited woman like her would want to be with my dad, a crazyass workaholic, was a mystery to me. She came from a well-off family, so it wasn't as if she needed his money.

"Good morning, Edward!" She threw me a smile when she saw me getting a glass of orange juice in the kitchen. Esme was one of the few people that I could stand being civil to.

"Hey, Esme. What's crackin'?"

She rolled her eyes at me and pulled me into a hug, placing a kiss on my left cheek. "Come here, you. I haven't seen you in over a month. You look good."

I grinned at her, half-tempted to say, "I always look good." Then I spotted St. George coming down the stairs and my good-nature vanished.

"You must be Bella!" Esme exclaimed, already shifting toward St. George. "I've heard so much about you! I'm Esme."

St. George widened her eyes at how forward Esme was. "Er… Hi, Esme."

So _now_ she chose to act shy? This was _not _the girl that came charging into my room yesterday afternoon, looking as if she was about to wring my neck.

"Esme!" Alice squealed and almost missed a step while she sprinted to her. "Oh my gosh! How was Europe? I missed you!" Alice adored Esme They went on shopping trips and day spas so often that most people mistook them for mother and daughter. In fact, I think Alice was closer to Esme than my dad, since he was never home.

"Let her sit, Alice," Grandma chuckled. "Breakfast is ready. Now, where's Carlisle?"

"Right here." Dad emerged from his study room and wrapped his arms around Esme's waist. The two of them were so lovey-dovey that it was sickening. Turning my head away with an eyeroll, I sauntered into the dining room and stole a piece of the cinnamon bun that was on the table. Silvia glowered at me and I smiled at her.

"Good bread," I told her.

My family began filing into the room. Esme took the spot between my dad and Alice, and with my dad and Gran at the heads of the table, that left St. George with no choice but to sit next to me. She looked at everyone but me when she took her seat. Did she think I was happy with this seating arrangement?

Alice, St. George and I left the house at about seven-twenty. I walked on ahead, not wanting to be seen with St. George even with my sister there in case we ran into people that I knew. Alice had her engaged in a conversation, much to my irritation. Why my sister bothered speaking to this girl was beyond me. I don't know why it came as a surprise to me to find that St. George wasn't much of a chatterbox. In fact, Alice did most of the talking while the girl _ohh_ed and _ahh_ed every ten seconds or so. Not that I was paying any attention to them.

Jasper was getting out of his limo when I took a turn at the street corner. He waved at me like a moron and ignored the group of giggly freshman girls that were eyeing us.

"What's up, dipshit?"

"You would know," I scoffed. "I'm still mad at you for ditching me yesterday for Alice. Whatever happened to bros over hoes?"

"I guess it's girls over bros now," he laughed.

"You are so whipped that it's disgusting," I sneered. "I should have never introduced you two to each other."

"Dude, we were like eleven years old," he snickered. "Besides, we would have found a way to get to know each other. So where _is_ Alice?"

"Jazz!" Out of nowhere, my sister came skipping toward us and leaping straight into Jasper's arms.

Jasper kissed her on the lips and smiled at her as if she were an angel sent from heaven. "Morning, Beautiful."

Scrunching my eyebrows together, I made a face and said, "I'm going to see you two in class… Whenever you're done with that shit."

They didn't even _hear _me.

:::&:::

I had Chemistry first period with Bree as my lab partner, which was a good thing because I didn't want to blow the school up with my lack of attention. Bree was a straight-A student who was probably going to get accepted into an Ivy League a couple of months from now while I, on the other hand, would probably end up in community college. Needless to say, when we "paired-up", she did most of the work. I contributed in the only way I could: I got out of her way and made sure I didn't touch anything to screw up our experiment.

"So Isabelle-"

"Isabella," I corrected her, though I don't know why I bothered since I never called Swan by her first name. She was St. George.

"Right. Did you two walk together to school this morning?"

I gawked at her as if she had lost her mind. "Yes, Bree. We held hands and skipped merrily off into the sunset to live happily ever after."

Her cheeks turned red at my answer. "I just thought since St. George was so close to Cornwell and all…"

"Yeah," I rolled my eyes. "Still not gonna happen." My eyes widened at the red liquid in front of me. "Shit, is that supposed to be bubbling?"

Second period was my least favorite class- fucking Gym or P.E. or whatever the hell you want to call it. I'd like to think that I was pretty athletic, but I just wasn't into showing off like that Newton boy and his friends from the soccer team. It wasn't as if they were any good either; Cornwell has lost most of its soccer games since its first year. Personally, I thought the soccer team was a joke.

Newton despised me, but not without a reason. When he joined the soccer team, he thought his "athleticness" would make him a "chick magnet"- I heard him say so myself while we were changing in the locker room one day. He hated that girls were drawn to me instead of him, though I don't know why it came as such a surprise to him when he used words like "athleticness" and "chick magnet."

Having Jasper in second period was the only thing bearable about P.E. The coach announced that we were playing football out on the field today and I saw Newton smile, because the girls were supposed to do cross-country. That little piece of shit thought he could impress them but tossing a football around; how pathetic.

"Yeah, yeah, wipe that smile off your face. I know you're going to see Alice." I probably sounded like a grouch but I honesty couldn't stand it when Jasper acted like a lovestruck teenage girl.

"Don't be jealous, dickhead," he chuckled, pulling me into a headlock.

"I don't need a girl to complete my life," I spat. "My life is already perfect."

He shrugged. "Whatever you say, bro. Eh, the Olsen Twins are waving at you."

By Olsen Twins he meant Tanya Denali and Lauren Mallory, the most popular girls in school and Mike Newton's fantasy. They were okay to look at, but too Malibu Barbie. Not really my style.

"So what did you do yesterday?" he asked, as we took off for our first lap around the field.

"I hung out with Bree for a while." Seeing the smirk that he threw me, I elbowed him. "It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?" he chuckled. "Come on, dude. You don't show interest in any of the girls in school. You only hang out with one girl and that's Bree. Do you blame us for making assumptions?"

"Whatever you say," I muttered. "But I'm telling you, she is _not _my girlfriend."

"Sounds like somebody's afraid of commitment."

Commitment… The word alone made me want to gag. Jasper's my best friend and all but he could be such a girl sometimes. Most guys would be happy to play the field, but Jasper was so happy with my sister that he saw no one but her.

Most people say football is an aggressive sport. However, if you happened to play it at Cornwall, you'd say otherwise since most guys in our class were wimps. Five out of ten guys at Cornwall would probably fake an injury and sit out during P.E. That's how unchallenging sports are at my school.

"Hike!"

Newton slammed into me for the third time, even though the ball wasn't even passed to me or anyone near me. I pushed him off me and screamed into his face, unable to take this shit any longer.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

He snarled at me. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with _you_, going around telling all the cheerleaders I'm gay?"

Huh. So I take it he found out about my little joke. A little late though, since I started spreading the rumor last week after he pissed me off in lunch period.

"You had it coming, Newton," I spat, jabbing a finger at his chest. "Did you really think I was going to let you off the hook after you spilled Pepsi all over my pants?"

"It was an accident!" Newton's face was as red as a baboon's ass. "I apologized! Besides, you shouldn't have been standing by the door anyway."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "What the hell did you just say?"

"I said-"

I didn't let him finish. Making a swing at his face, I shoved him to the ground and began pummeling. Jasper tried pulling us apart but gave up shortly with a shrug after I yelled at him to stay out of it. The coach, not knowing what she could do, shrieked like a little girl and demanded us to stop. If I weren't so pissed, I would have laughed at the sight of her hopping on one foot to the other.

The bell rang and I got off Newton after realizing I had given him a black eye, which meant ten minutes from now he would be running to the office, telling Mr. Tanner, Bree's dad, that I had physically assaulted him. Again.

Jasper had his hand on my shoulder as we walked back toward the gym to change.

"Now I see why your _mother_ doesn't_ want_you, Cullen." I froze at the sound of Newton's patronizing laugh when I was halfway across the field. "You're emotionally unstable."

Jasper growled and would have charged at Newton if I hadn't held him back. He knew my mother was a sore subject for me; whoever who brought her up was basically begging for a death wish. Mike Newton smirked when he thought I didn't have a comeback, but he was wrong. He wasn't going to have the last laugh.

* * *

"Why on Earth would you set his locker on fire, Edward?" Grandma's face was on the verge of steaming. Half an hour ago the school called her to pick me up, after the stunt that I pulled right after last period. I personally thought it wasn't that big of a deal- setting Newton's locker on fire was just something to scare him off and payback for talking shit about my mother. And it wasn't as if I had harmed anyone in the process. Besides, Newton couldn't read anyways; did it matter that his textbooks were now partially burned?

"That bastard was talking about my mother," I gritted my teeth.

"So that gives you the right to burn down the school?"

"Don't be dramatic, Grandma," I snorted, shaking my head with disbelief. "It was _Newton's locker_; not the entire school."

"You could have gotten a lot of people hurt."

Yeah, right. As if that could have happened with a _lighter_. I had to refrain myself from sighing when Grandma nagged relentlessly throughout our entire ride home. God, it wasn't as if I'd murdered someone. I set Newton's locker on fire - so what? If he had gotten hurt in the process, I'd actually be doing the world a favor. We were all better off without having a dickhead like Newton in our lives.

My father was waiting in the living room with his arms crossed when I got home. He still had his lab coat on, which meant he had left behind whatever the hell he had been working on just to come home and reprimand me. How lovely. St. George scurried up the stairs when I met her eyes, which meant she knew her place. This was family business; she might have been living with me, but she was no way in hell a part of my family.

Alice had a stupid grin on her face while my dad gave me the meanest look he could muster. Knowing her, she was probably already thinking about my punishments. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she named a few of her suggestions to my dad later. She was such a little know-it-all bitch who thought she was better than me just because she was three minutes older and on the Straight-A Honor Roll.

"Newton started it," I broke the eerie silence, unable to stand their stares and glares. Then I realized it was the wrong thing to say since blaming your enemy for a fight before the interrogation even began was the weakest form of defense. Dad's face flushed with anger and he pinched the bridge of his nose while Grandma filled him in on what had happened. Of course, what Gran heard was Newton's version of the story. And I didn't blame her for buying his bullshit. When Grandma arrived, Newton was in tears, telling her that I had threatened to kill him. If Newton was capable of one thing- actually _two _things-, it was bullshitting and acting. That scum was just full of shit.

"Michael is threatening to sue," Grandma sighed. Michael Newton, the scumbag's father, wasn't any better than his son. He was pretty much the 40 year-old version of Newton. "But Headmaster Tanner calmed him down and got him to agree that if Edward paid for the damages that he had caused his son and the school, they'd consider dropping the charges. And the restraining order."

"Restraining order?" Dad repeated incredulously.

"To make sure Edward doesn't harm Mike again in the future as retaliation."

I could tell that the thought of punching me flickered across my dad's mind since his eyes were shooting daggers. I hadn't seen him this pissed off since I was thirteen, when I smuggled a gun into the house and shot a hole through the wall, not knowing what I had with me was real. "Go to your room, Edward. And stay there."

Normally I wouldn't have given a damn about what he told me to do, but I knew if I set my foot out of this house, I'd go after Newton, hunt him down, and make him regret what he said about my mother. And that would only bring him the satisfaction of landing me in more trouble. "Whatever the hell you say, _father_."

Alice seemed dismayed that I was so easily off the hook, that brat. I heard her put her two cents in on my way up to my room. Community service. She suggested freaking community service. Why the hell would anyone wish that on their brother?

I sighed when my ringtone went off. I didn't even have to answer to see who was calling - I had five missed calls from Bree already. Feeling that talking was the last thing that I wanted to do, I turned off my phone, even though I knew that was a dickhead move.

Newton. Always Newton._ Why _did I have to let him get inside my head? How many times had I gotten into shit because I couldn't control my temper around him? I slammed the bedroom door behind me and punched the wall, groaning when I felt a spasm of pain shoot through my hand.

Alice put her head around my door and sighed when she saw me clutching on to my knuckle. "Edward."

Jeez. Does anyone knock these days? They just waltzed into my room like it was a freaking department store.

"What do you want?" I spat.

"Bree says you aren't answering your cell. She's worried about you. Call her."

Of course Bree would call Alice; they were best friends. Why didn't I think of that? And judging by the look on Alice's face, she had already told her everything. Alice had such a big mouth.

"Since you already gave her a detailed description of what had happened, why do I need to call her?"

"She wants to know if you're okay. You should-"

"Look, if I wanted to talk to her, I would have called, alright?" I cut her off impatiently. "Now get out of my room because I'm sick of hearing blah blah blah when I should be hearing this." I pressed my fingers to my thumb. "Get. Out."

"You're such an ass, Edward," Alice smiled bitterly. "I honestly don't know what Bree sees in you."

"Well, I think you're a vain bitch who cares about nothing but Prada and Gucci. You don't see me saying anything about it."

She gave me the finger and threw a textbook at me. Man, what was with everyone throwing stuff at me? First St. George, and now her?

"Whatever you say. I may be a vain bitch, but at least I'm a vain bitch who'll actually get into a good college. And FYI, I don't like Gucci, you dumbass."

The door shut close with a loud crash. I heard footsteps approaching and I was sure it was Alice coming to apologize for overreacting. But it wasn't her. It was my father and my grandma, who stared at me with what could only be described as disappointment. Well. At least they were polite enough to knock instead of just barging in like St. George and Alice.

Dad sighed and leaned against the frame of my door. "Edward, we need to talk."

"Yeah, I figured," I snorted.

"Drop the sarcasm," he said warningly.

"Edward," Grandma took a step forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Let's be serious about this, alright?"

"Whatever. Fine."

She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Now, I knew where I got that mannerism from; I got it from Dad, and Dad got it from Gran.

"You're almost eighteen, Edward. You're not a kid anymore. You can't expect Carlisle and I to fix your mistakes every time you mess up. You need to learn how to be responsible for your actions so you can stand on your own feet."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you need to pay for the damage that you caused yourself," she stated while my dad pressed his lips to a tight line. "You'll never learn unless you suffer from the consequences."

"Alright," I nodded my head, thinking about the four thousand dollars that I had stashed on my credit cards. "I'll pay for it myself."

She didn't seem surprised that I agreed without putting up a fight, which led me into believing things weren't as simply as they sounded. My grandma was Elizabeth Cullen, business mastermind and probably one of the smartest and most manipulative women in the country.

"When I said you needed to pay for the money yourself," She exchanged a wry smile with my dad, "I meant no credit cards, no allowance. Basically, you're on your own."

I blinked at her, as if she were saying a foreign language.

"So how the hell will I pay for everything then?"

"Edward," My dad glowered at me with his bloodshot eyes. "Don't use that language around your grandmother."

"You'll have to work for the money, like the rest of us," Grandma, for the first time, sounded cheerful. Heck, was that a smile that she just cracked?

"Work," I repeated doubtfully, emitting a small laugh. "You expect me to work."

"Yes."

I laughed, which only seemed to make my dad angrier. "Work? By doing what? Who in their right mind would hire a seventeen year-old who isn't out of school?"

"I'm not asking you to drop out of school, Edward," Grandma sounded amused. "Just a couple of hours after school- a part-time job- to pay for the damage that you caused. As for who would hire you… well, for now, me."

"You expect me to work at one of your coffee shops?" I widened my eyes at her, holding back my laughter. "I don't know how to make coffee. I don't even _drink_ coffee."

"You'll be serving customers and cleaning tables," she said solemnly. "The manager, Rhonda, will explain everything to you. You'll start tomorrow afternoon. Right after school."

"Alrighty," I said sarcastically, rolling out of bed and grabbing a shirt to put on. Dad grabbed me by the collar when I tried to squeeze my way out of the room.

"Where are you going?"

"Restroom."

"This conversation is _not _over. Sit your ass back down."

"Er… I have to piss. Unless you like cleaning up my urine, you better let me go because I seriously can't hold it."

Dad tightened his grip on my shirt but released me in a huff. Grandma shook her head, like there was something seriously something wrong with me, and left the room muttering something in French, which I didn't understand a word of.

What a bunch of drama queens. Since when was it a crime to pee?

:::&:::

Students at Cornwell reacted differently toward the locker incident the next day. Those that hated Newton congratulated me on a job well done while Newton and his friends steered clear of me in the hallway and in class. I don't know why he was so shaken up when it wasn't him but his _locker_ that I had set on fire, but at least he now knew Edward Cullen wasn't someone that could be messed with.

"You didn't call me back," Bree said with a small smile when I greeted her in second period.

"Yeah," I scratched the back of my head, trying to think of a good excuse. All the ones that I came up with were pathetic, so I decided to tell her the truth. "I just didn't feel like talking about it. Sorry."

"Don't sweat it," she shrugged. "I was just worried about you, that's all."

"Don't be. I'm fine. I'm great, actually," I chuckled, throwing a glance at Newton who sat in the back corner of the room with his head buried in a book that I knew he wasn't capable of reading. Newton, like me, only got into Cornwell because of his family name. His dad used to work for the state, I believe.

"Did you get into trouble?" she asked, biting on her lower lip. "Your grandma looked pretty mad when she came to pick you up."

"She wants me to pay for the damages by working part-time," The thought of Grandma's exact words sent me to a fit of laughter, "at one of her coffee shops. Can you believe it?"

"She's Elizabeth," she murmured, giggling. "I guess I can. So are you gonna go?"

"Oh, I'm gonna go," I snickered with a shake of my head. "But whether I stay or not is a different story."

I walked straight to _Bella Villagio _after school. God bless Gran for sending me to the Upper East Side location; if she sent me to Brooklyn or Bronx, I wouldn't have even bothered going.

Jasper had thrown his head back and laughed when I told him the entire story. Apparently the idea of me working part-time was as hilarious to him as it was to me. The first thing he said was, "A coffee prince serving coffee to commoners like us? Just what kind of royalty are you?" I told him to keep his comments to himself since the last thing I wanted was for someone to send this information to the tabloid newspapers. The last thing I wanted right now was to draw attention to myself.

I'd never actually had coffee at my grandmother's coffee shop. My friends found it amusing that I never ordered coffee at a place that was well-known for its coffee's quality and variety, but coffee just wasn't my thing. I'd pick tea, smoothie or hot chocolate over it any day. All the waiters and waitresses gazes shifted to me the moment I strolled into the shop. I guess they got the memo: Edward Cullen, the owner's grandson, was now one of their co-workers. How ridiculous.

The manager, a nice-looking woman in her early-thirties wearing a suit, approached me with a smile, extending her hand when she reached where I was standing. "You must be Edward. Your grandmother told me you'll be a part of our team from now on. We're happy to have you here. I'm Vera."

"Yeah," I said disinterestedly, secretly feeling like rolling my eyes because I could feel Vera was the kind of woman who'd suck up to me just so I would throw in a couple of words in her favor in front of Gran. She'd be so disappointed to know that Gran and I don't really get along.

"Well, let me introduce you to the gang." With just a wave of her hand, three waitresses and two waiters scurried over after finishing serving or taking the customers' orders. The guys appeared to be older- probably in college- while two of the girls looked to be about my age, maybe younger. "This is Edward. Edward, this is Jose, Ross, Lindsay, Cheryl, and Jane." The guys nodded at me after taking in my Cornwell uniform while the girls smiled tentatively and wiggled their fingers. "Cheryl, I'm assigning Edward to your area for right now so I'd like you to show him the ropes. Alright, let's get to work!" Cheryl, one of the younger blondes, stepped forward and shyly told me to follow her to the storage room, handing me a stack of clothes and an apron. An effing apron. Unbelievable.

"Umm… the restrooms are down the hall. I'll see you out there."

Blushing, she shut the door behind her while I gaped at the crap that she handed me like they were a disease. There was no way that I was going to wear these ugly pieces of clothing and walk out that door. What if someone from school happened to walk in? I didn't want to give them the wrong impression. On the other hand, if I screwed this up and the news got back to Gran...

Screw it.

Tossing the clothes and the apron to the corner, I kicked the door open and marched down the hall.

"Where are you going, Edward?"

Damn. I didn't think Cheryl would notice since she was on her way to the back table.

"I'm leaving."

"Le… Leave?" she stuttered, bewildered. "But you just got here."

"Yeah," I frowned. "Something came up and it's sort of an emergency."

"But Vera-"

"Wow. I never noticed how green your eyes are," I cut her off as I took a step forward, placing a finger under her chin. My only option right now was to charm my way out of this, which wouldn't be hard considering Cheryl seemed attracted to me.

She blushed at my words. "Thanks. Well, we need to check with Vera as soon as she gets out from the lady's room."

"I've talked to Vera," I lied, "So there's no need to bother her again with this."

"Oh," she fluttered her eyelashes. Purple wasn't really her color, "okay. Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure," I smiled at her. "I'll see ya." _Yeah, not likely._

_College girls_, I thought with a smile on my way out of the shop. _Cute, but so easy._

* * *

**A/N: **I originally wanted to post Part I and Part II at the same time. After rereading the chapter for at least three times, I decided it would be a good idea to stop here. The story is slowly- _very slowly_- unfolding but we'll be getting to some Bella and Edward moments soon. This isn't one of those "Bella and Edward fall in love at first sight" stories, so it will take a while for them to form feelings for each other. Bella and Edward's complicated background will be revealed little by little as the story develops. Their moms are alive. That's all I can give away for right now.

**Please review! **I love reading your reviews- they help out so much when disencouraging thoughts cross my mind.I'm open to constructive criticism, so don't be afraid to tell me how you really feel. If you're reading this, drop me a review and let me know what you like or dislike about this chapter/story. I would love to hear your guess on Elizabeth's shooter.

I'll be responding to your reviews with a teaser since the next chapter is nearly finished. Have a great week!


	6. Damages Part II

"Money is like a sixth sense - and you can't make use of the other five without it" ~_William Somerset Maugham_

* * *

Chapter Five: Damages (Part II)

_Bella Swan _

A _B_ _minus._ Why would it be a _B minus_? I spent over three hours working on that Physics assignment and I thought I answered the questions quite well. Don't get the wrong idea; I'm not one of those girls that thought her future is ruined because she got a B. I was just really disappointed.

"What did you get, Swan?" Jacob, behind me, looked like a sulky child. He didn't get a good grade either by the look of it.

"B minus."

"Damn. I got an F," he scratched the back of his head. "And I actually looked up the answers this time."

The bell rang and all of us jumped to our feet, hastily moving toward the door. I rolled my eyes when I heard Irina Cohen boast about her A plus to Leah and Seth, who just looked as if they wished to disappear. Irina was the smartest girl in school and she made sure everyone- teachers, students, and parents- knew it. She wasn't particularly fond of me, since I'd once beat her at Editorial Writing in 10th grade for a state competition.

"Bella! What did you get?" she asked smilingly, even though she already knew the answer to that, being the one who helped the teacher hand out our papers.

"B minus," I muttered monotonously.

"Shame," she puckered her lips with sympathy. "And you worked so hard on it. That's alright though. There's always a next time."

Seth and Leah gave her the finger simultaneously the moment Irina turned her back to us.

"I hope she flunks her college interview," Leah said spitefully. "I hope she gets so nervous that she pees in her pants."

"What are you doing after school today?" Seth asked. "Leah and I are visiting our grandparents in Bronx and since you live there, I thought we could hang out or something. You know, show us the shit."

Oh. Right. I was supposed to live in Bronx.

"Sorry," I frowned. "I have something this afternoon that I can't get out of."

"Oh," Seth blinked. "Another time then."

"On the subject of gossips," Leah clasped her hands together as made a left turn for our lockers. St. George didn't have a large campus- in fact, our school consisted of only one building- but it was really easy to get lost, with so many confusing intersections. It took me one semester to learn where all of my classes were.

"WHAT? We weren't on the subject of gossips," Seth snorted.

His sister glared at him. "Well. Now we are. Anyway," she beamed, turning to me. "I got a text from my cousin, Emily, whose friend's friend goes to Cornwall. Apparently, some psycho set one of the lockers on fire yesterday. How cool is that?"

Did words travel fast or what? Edward would be so happy with the attention. Speaking of Edward, I hadn't seen him since Monday afternoon. He didn't come home last night, and Mrs. Cullen, along with Carlisle, were worried sick. At about eleven-thirty, they got a call from Aro Volturi, father of one of his friends, who said Edward was passed out drunk in their guest bedroom.

"No, shit!" Seth chuckled. "Man, nothing exciting ever happens at our school. We always miss out on the action."

"I wonder if that dude was on drugs," Leah laughed. Then noticing how quiet I was, she raised her eyebrow at me and said, "What do you think, Swan?"

"I don't now," I answered, too hastily. "I mean, maybe? Did you happen to get his name? I'm assuming it's a he?"

"Oh yeah," she nodded. "Edmund Cullen."

I emitted a small giggle. "Really."

Girls squealed as soon as they set their feet outside the building. It was sprinkling, which surprised me since we hadn't had rain in almost two months. I pulled the hoodie of my jacket over my head and scowled when a freshman girl ran straight into me as she sprinted toward one of the shops to avoid getting rained on. Some people just have zero respect. I mean, she didn't even apologize.

As I pulled up in front of 64th street, a familiar bob of bronze hair caught my eye as I waited for the pedestrian crossing lights to turn green. I knew I wasn't mistaken when I heard Edward's cynical laugh ringing from about five yards away. There was an attractive blond-haired boy beside him, right about Edward's height. He was also wearing a Cornwall uniform, and like Edward, his expression had a fierceness that I couldn't describe. He nudged Edward in the stomach when he noticed me staring at them. Before Edward could whip his face to my direction, I looked away, embarrassed to be caught.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here! It's a duck! It's a goose! No, it's just Swan," Edward chortled, finding his unoriginal joke humorous.

"Get a life," I said, without as much as glancing at him.

The two of them fell into step beside me as soon as the light turned green.

"Don't pretend you weren't staring," Edward gave a snort.

"I _wasn't_ staring."

"Whatever. So what are you doing on Upper West Side, Swan? East Side not good enough for you?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"None of your business."

"That's my answer to your question as well. Wait!" I raised my voice when he and his friend picked up their pace and were now ahead of me. He skidded to a stop, glaring as he spun around to my direction.

"_What_?"

"Have you talked to Mrs. Cullen? She was really worried about you. She made calls all evening… OUCH! What are you _doing_?" I yelped when he grabbed me by the wrist and began hauling me off the center of the pedestrian street, pulling me to the front of an out-of-business shop that seemed to have been left vacant for at least ten years.

"Listen, Swan. Just because you're living in my house," he hissed, "it doesn't mean you're a part of my family. So stay out of my business. _Capiche_?"

"I'm sorry I tried," I uttered. What was I thinking? Why, _why_, did I have to talk to him? He was right; it wasn't any of my business. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"And don't you _ever _talk to me when I'm with someone else." He feigned a shudder. "People might get the wrong idea and think we're friends."

Like I would _ever _allow myself to be a friend of his. I'd rather invite Irina Cohen over for a sleepover than be his friend. And that's saying a lot. "That's _horrendous_," I said, my voice laced with sarcasm. "I would throw myself off a cliff if that ever happens. Besides, _you _were the one who talked to me first."

He narrowed his eyes. "You're the one who was staring."

"Edward!" The blonde boy tapped his wrist impatiently.

Annoyed, Edward walked over to his friend, muttering "Fucking loser" loud enough for me to hear. I held back my comment, wanting to be the better person by ignoring him.

* * *

_Edward Cullen_

"So I take it that was the infamous Isabella Swan," Jasper chuckled.

"Did you see that?" I asked incredulously, throwing my hand up for emphasis. "She marched right up to me and told me my grandmother was worried. Like it was any of her fucking business. She _must_ consider herself a part of my family."

Jasper shook his head with an easy smile. I suppose all of this seemed amusing to him. After all, he was the one who laughed when I told him a_ girl_ moved into my house after saving my grandmother's life. "Dang. Tough chick," were the first words that he had said. Jasper was my best friend and all, but sometimes the way he took everything so lightly really irritated me.

"She was kind of cute," he muttered, chuckling again.

I blinked at him then punched him straight in the shoulder, unable to believe I was hearing this. "Dude, you have a girlfriend. My sister, in case you've forgotten."

"I know that!" he protested. "I'm just saying, you made her sound like an ugly person. She isn't ugly."

"So?" I countered irritably. "It doesn't change the fact that I dislike her. She's so calm and polite to my family all of the time. It's sickening. I can't stomach it. And ever since the shooting happened, she became my grandmother's favorite. I saw them sitting by the fire together the other day. It's like they're BFFs or something."

Jasper snickered and nudged me in the rib. "Jealous much, Cullen? And since when do you use words like BFF?"

"Oh, believe me," I scoffed, drawing a long breath from my nose. "I'm not. She has nothing for me to be jealous of. So what exactly are we doing here?"

"Getting me another fake ID," he said simply.

"You had three. What happened to them?"

He sighed, producing a dramatic eye-roll which immediately told me it had something to do with his mother, Mary Whitlock. Mary was one of the strictest, nosiest moms that I've ever seen. That's why I didn't go knocking on Jasper's door last night when I needed a place to crash to avoid facing the wrath of my family. "My mom found them when she went snooping in my room. She threw a huge fit and told me I shouldn't be drinking and clubbing when I have shit to worry about, like college."

"That's insane."

"I know. But whatever. I can always produce another ID as long as I've got money. That's what Laurent is here for, right?"

"Was your mother ever a teenager?" I couldn't help but ask. "Or was she one of those kids who were born middle-aged?"

"Ask her next time you see her," he teased.

Yeah, right. As if I would ever talk to Jasper's mom willingly. To be honest, that lady scared the shit out of me. And that's saying a lot considering I'm a Cullen.

Jasper and I hung out with Laurent and his friends, James, while we waited for the ID. Those dudes were pretty cool; they charged decent money for the ID and offered us free booze. But honestly, what we had with them was pure business. There was something off about them- and it wasn't just because they were older than Jasper and me, in their mid-twenties. I always got a bad vibe around them.

Jasper hailed a cab and dropped me off. Not having any idea how late it was, I just about jumped a mile when grandma turned the lamp on as soon as I sat foot in the living room.

"I thought you've forgotten where you live," she said wryly.

"That's kind of hard when I have eight-six missed calls in my phone," I retorted sharply. "All from you and dad."

"Drop the sarcasm, young man!" Grandma shot up from the couch and advanced toward me with bloodshot eyes. "Your behavior is utterly unacceptable. Do you think it's funny to embarrass me in front of my employees by pulling a disappearing act on your first day? Or do you find it humorous for me to call everyone I know to see if they had seen you, because you stayed out all night with your phone turned off?"

"Hey," I snapped, glaring at her. "I didn't ask you to call, alright? I turned off my phone because I was sick of your nagging and lecturing."

"I didn't know if you were safe!" she cried. "A boy your age was shot dead last week in Brooklyn. Forgive me for being concerned."

My safety. I was almost eighteen years old, not eight. "Well, as you can see, I'm not dead, am I?" I was freakin' tired and there we were having a talk about my safety at eleven p.m. What was she, crazy? My head was on the verge of exploding and she wasn't even anywhere close to ending her rant. Maybe I ought to shoot myself, just to get her to stop…

"Are you listening, Edward?"

"Gran, I'm as tired as shit. You know, this is _exactly _why I didn't come home. You scold me as if I were a child as soon as you see me. Every freaking day. But you don't ever get at Alice's back."

"Alice doesn't stay out all night without calling first!" she said, her nostrils flaring. "And she doesn't walk away from the mess she created, unlike you. And she certainly doesn't speak to me so disrespectfully."

The anger inside of me intensified. Gran had always preferred Alice. She was the golden child, the one with the perfect grades and the perfect records. Nothing like her rebellious, notorious younger brother. I took a step toward Gran and looked straight into her eyes. Most women would be intimidated by the fury in my eyes, but not my grandmother. Elizabeth Cullen wasn't afraid of anything. "If I'm so horrible, Grandma, why even bother? Just leave me alone. God knows I'd be happier that way."

Grandma parted her lips and looked as if she had been slapped. With her eyes downcast, she waved me away. "Go to bed, Edward. I'm done."

I didn't bother saying goodnight before I stomped up the stairs.

The next morning, I found my grandmother and my father seated in the living room with identical solemn looks. The breakfast on the dining table was untouched; when I asked Silvia if she knew what was going on, she made a gesture to zip her lips. _What the hell was going on?_

"What's going on?" Alice asked as she fell into step beside me.

"I don't know," I murmured. If there was one thing that I hated, it would be to be left out of the loop. "So do we just eat or something?"

"Edward, we have a couple of things to discuss with you. Come over to the living room," Dad's voice was calm. He didn't sound mad, which meant I was probably spared from another one of his "What are you going to do with your life" lectures. I exchanged a look with Alice, who shrugged and followed me to the living room. Someone was wrong. I could smell the awkwardness in the air. On the loveseat, Grandma was holding a stack of paper; since she was hugging them close to her chest, I couldn't make out what they were.

"What?" The annoyance rang clear in my voice. It seemed impossible for me to talk to my family without feeling aggravated.

"Have a seat."

Yeah, whatever. I sprawled on the couch and Alice shot me a dirty look when she saw I didn't leave any room for her. Well, she could always sit on the floor or grab a chair from the dining room. Plenty of chairs to go around.

"Where's Bella?" Alice asked.

"She left for school already. She was meeting up with a friend of hers, I believe," Dad answered swiftly. As if anyone would give a damn about Swan.

Grandma rose from her seat and handed me what she was holding. Brochures. What did she want from me now? Attend another one of her fundraisers?

When I spotted _Riverside Military Academy_, my breath stilled. Outraged, I flipped through the pages urgently, catching words like _all-boy_, _Georgia, _and _college preparatory. _

"What the hell is this?" I roared, getting on my feet. "Is this some kind of a joke?"

"You refused to listen. You refused to face the consequences of your action. Military school has always been our last resort. Who knows? You might learn a thing or two there," Dad chuckled wryly.

"I'm perfect the way I am," I snapped at him. "Why the hell would I need to learn anything from those losers? People go to military school because their lives are fucked up. Mine isn't." I turned to my grandmother, whose face was as smooth as a marble, completely expressionless. "As for 'not facing the consequences of my action'," I quoted her with an eye roll. "You know what? I'll pay the school back right now. With the money in my account."

"Your account?' Grandma repeated with disbelief. "It's for your college tuition, Edward. It's a trust fund, and it is _not _at your disposal."

"It's _my _money," I pressed. "The account is under _my _name, and I should be able to do whatever the hell I want with it. And for crying out loud, it's only three thousand dollars! Why is everyone making such a big deal out of it? And I might as well as just get the money right now since we all know college is going to be a waste of my time. People go to college to get smarter so they could have a job. I'm the heir to one of the biggest coffeehouses in history. Why the hell would I need to get a job?"

Grandma flinched and I could have sworn Dad was going to swing his fist at me when I finished bellowing.

"Edward-" Alice started uncomfortably.

"Stay out of this, Alice."

Grandma closed her eyes and retrieved a brown envelop from the table. Dad looked down to his feet with his lips pressed together, which meant he knew what was going on. My heart stopped beating when Grandma pulled out her will. Gauging Alice's expression, she had never seen it before in her life. But I had. I stumbled across Grandma's will when I was twelve, when I was snooping in her office hoping to find a way to contact my mother.

"I wrote this will six years ago," she muttered.

Then she did something that made all of us gasp. She threw her will into the fire.

"Since your father doesn't want to have anything to do with the company, I originally wanted to leave the company to you and Alice. Each of you was supposed to have 15 percent of company ownership. But I've changed my mind. Edward, family or not, I cannot leave my company to someone as irresponsible as you. I built _Bella Villagio _with my heart, with everything Bobby left me." Her eyes watered at the mention of my deceased grandfather. "It would be a disgrace to him if I choose to leave the company to you for my own selfish reasons."

"What are you going to do?" I chuckled, not caring that I sounded like a dick because I was as pissed off as hell. "Disinherit me? Give my share to Alice? She's probably going to spend all of her money on purses and clothes anyway. But if that's what you prefer, then hey, go right ahead."

"What the hell, Edward?" Alice screeched, kicking me in the ankle. "I wouldn't do that."

"I said nothing about leaving your share to Alice," Grandma countered sternly, ignoring Alice. "Since you think college is a waste of time, I might as well as cancel your trust fund and give it to someone who needs and appreciates it. And I'm sorry that I've given you the impression that you won't have to work for anything when you're older." Her sarcasm was infuriating. "But you're right. I'm disinheriting you. I'm doing you a favor, Edward, believe it or not. You're my grandson, and I love you, and that's exactly why I'm doing this.

"Bullshit!" My rage made breathing seem almost impossible. "You can't do that. It's my trust fund…. I'm entitled to it."

"It's a_ revocable _trust fund," Dad corrected me. "Which means it can be altered by the trustee at any time."

My own father was against me. How screwed up was this world? Fathers should be on their children's side, _not _ganging up on their son with their mother.

"So who are you giving my trust fund and my inheritance to?" I asked, practically spitting the words out with my teeth gritted, still unable to wrap my head around it. "If it's not Alice?"

The next two words she murmured made me want to commit murder.

"Bella Swan."

* * *

**Skip and meet me Central Park. Emergency. –E**

Right after that horrible fight with my grandmother, I stormed out of the house, unable to stand her voice or the sight of her. She was giving everything I owed to _Bella Swan_, a nobody, an intruder of my family. Un-fucking-believable.

Jasper, in his uniform, met up with me five minutes after receiving my text. He was a good friend, and one of the few people that I could count on. I gave him the entire story and he was staggered when I got to the part about my grandmother giving everything to Bella Swan.

"She's just bluffing," I said, though secretly not as confident as I sounded. "And I don't believe she'd actually send me to a military school. No one would ever do that to their own grandson." I saw Jasper shift uneasily from where he was sitting. "What?"

"Nothing," he said.

"Dammit, Jasper. If you have something to say, say it."

"I don't think she's bluffing," he murmured thoughtfully. "Edward, Elizabeth doesn't kid around. Have you forgotten how your grandmother is? When she states something, she means it. She has too much integrity and pride in her to go back on her words."

"So you're saying… she'd actually send me away and give that Swan girl everything?"

"If she believes that's the right choice."

Jasper mockingly covered his ears when I shouted a list of profanities. He smacked my back when I calmed down, which was his way of saying, "There, there. Everything's gonna be okay".

"What do you think I should do?"

"Make Elizabeth an offer to get her to soften up. Make her think her words have affected you." he suggested. "And get your emotions under control, jackass. Yelling at her won't make your proposition appealing."

"I know _that_," I muttered, not liking how foolish he was making me sound. Yes, I admit I had a problem with my temper, but I wasn't that bad. I was capable of being a likeable human being, thank you very much. Frankly, Jasper's suggestion made sense. I hadn't really thought about softening in front of Gran, not wanting to seem weak, but after contemplating, I concluded that might be exactly what I needed. Surely I could get some points from earning her sympathy?

Jasper and I returned to school, since missing another day of school wouldn't make me look too good in front of Grandma at the moment. The teachers didn't make a fuss; they were used to me and Jasper skipping classes.

Bree passed me a note in English, when Mr. Solomon turned to the blackboard to write down our homework assignment. I took mental notes to thank Alice later for opening her big mouth.

**Thanks. I'm fine, **I scribbled. **I know what I'm gonna do. Don't worry. **

I threw the note at her, but the teacher chose then to turn back around to face the class. He raised his eyebrow at me and snatched the note from Bree.

"So, what do you have here? I hope I didn't stumble across a love note," Mr. Solomon laughed cynically. Bree blushed and looked down to her lap. When he read what I had written, the disappointment was clear on his face. He tossed the note into the garbage bin, since it wasn't exciting or scandalous enough to share with the rest of the class. "Do your flirting outside of my classroom, Mr. Cullen. I will not tolerate note-passing in my class."

"Whatever," I said, not even looking at him.

Grandma seemed surprised when I walked through the doors at exactly five o'clock, given I never came home right after school. In fact, I didn't make it on time for dinner that much either.

My body stiffened when I spotted her from the doorway. I'd rehearsed everything that I wanted to say in my head, but now that I was home, I didn't know how to start.

"You're home," Gran said.

"Yeah." I figured it was better to be honest from the start. "I skipped first period."

She nodded her head. "I know. The school called me. I'm surprised you went back."

"I just… needed to talk to Jasper."

"Understandable, after what I had sprung on you." Her tone was formal and brittle. The way she looked at me made me feel like I was one of her employees who was about to get fired. "You're flying to Georgia next Monday. I've already made the calls and arrangements."

The awkwardness lingering in the air was so thick that it was practically visible. I took a deep breath and took a step toward her. She put down this month's sales chart and stared at me.

"Gran," I began, hoping I looked remorseful rather than belligerent. To be honest, I still thought her decision was bizarre and insane, but right now my life was in her hands. "I'm really sorry."

"Your words won't shake me, Edward," she murmured. "I've given up hope on you. I have waited for years, waiting for you to come back to me like the obedient, loving grandson that you were before your mother-"

"Don't talk about her," I interrupted, then realizing how rude I sounded, I added, "please."

"Alright. But you're still going to Military Academy."

I took a deep breath and warned myself to be calm. _Calm? How can I be calm? _The voice in my head screamed. _She's sending me to freaking Georgia, enrolling me in a military school. And it's not even co-ed. She might as well as just order me to go into confinement and make me become a monk. _

"Grandma, you're right. I screwed up. Big time. And I know I've been really disappointing… but I want to fix this. Give me another chance."

She scoffed and shook her head gravely.

"I'll pay Cornwall back on my own," I said with feigned enthusiasm, knowing I was going to regret saying this. "I'll work. I'll pick my grades up. I'll stop causing trouble. Just… don't send me to a military school. I'd _die_ there."

My heart accelerated as she pondered.

"You don't mean that."

"I do! I promise. Look, you can give Swan my inheritance. I don't care. Just let me prove to you that your grandson is not a total failure." And that he'd be the better candidate for you to leave your company to. But of course, I couldn't tell her _that_. At least not right now.

Every second seemed agonizing as I waited for her reply. The clock on the wall taunted me, making minutes feel like hours as I waited. St. George chose then to burst through the doors. She greeted my grandmother after eyeing the two of us with curiosity and headed for the stairs.

"Fine, Edward. If you screw up again, it's goodbye Upper East Side and hello Gainesville. Don't make me regret this."

I flashed a smile at her, promising her that she wouldn't. Of course she wouldn't. Now that I had a goal I wanted to obtain, I would do whatever the hell it was to get it. My money. My company. Nobody was going to snatch them away from me. I'd take down anyone who dared to try it. Right now there was only one person standing in my way. If I could prove to Grandma that Bella Swan wasn't as perfect as she looked, and that she was probably here to get her hands on our money… surely Gran would have a change of heart. I'm her _kin_;I have Cullen blood running through my veins. Bella Swan was a _nobody_.

"One more thing, Edward."

"Yes?" I whipped my head to Grandma's direction again.

"Don't mention a word of our conversation to Bella. I'd like for it to be between us for now so she doesn't feel awkward and uncomfortable around you."

_Too late for that_, I thought. Besides, one way or another, I was sure Bella Swan would find out about this conversation. People like her weasel their way into rich people's lives hoping to get a share of _something. _Lucky for her, my grandma was a fool who just might give her _everything. _

It wasn't going to happen on my watch.

I bumped into St. George on the second flight of stairs and didn't make a move to get out of her way. The awful poncho she was wearing would have fooled me into thinking she was a hobo on the streets if I hadn't already known who she was. Alice would have had a heart attack if she saw this.

_This girl, this average, insignificant girl, is my competition for my inheritance? _I couldn't help thinking incredulously as I eyed her down with distaste, taking in her plainness. The thought of her whisking away my share of fortune infuriated me. She was nothing, yet she was only a step away from having my everything. And she managed to do all of that just by jumping on my grandmother. I was seeing red. And Bella Swan was the enemy.

* * *

_Bella Swan_

Edward Cullen shoved me out of the way and stormed into his room after cursing under his breath. As if it was my fault that we bumped into each other on the stairs. Sighing, I picked my sketch book up from the floor- which Edward had knocked down either on purpose or by accident, I don't know, when he pushed me out of his way- and rushed down the stairs. I was late. Today was my second week of art workshop, and I didn't want to make a bad impression by being the last person entering the classroom.

Two weeks before the shooting, I signed up for this program called _Artists Commute_, where young, unprofessional artists meet up once a week to sketch and share our art with others at our instructor, Sebastian Leroy's studio. Sebastian was young- barely thirty- and was considered one of the most prodigious contemporary artists of his generation. I'd been a fan of his work before I got the chance to meet him in person two month ago. After Riley introduced me to him, Sebastian invited me to join the art program that he had started not to long ago after finding out my passion for drawing. Of course, who would pass an opportunity like _that_?

"Hey, Bella! Glad I didn't scare you away last time. Welcome back," Sebastian chuckled when I walked into the room. I was, _indeed_, the last one to arrive. And it was none other than Edward Cullen's fault.

Mumbling a quick "hello", I took my seat, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Today, I would like you to draw something you fear. It could be anything; an object, a scene… anything. This is what I finished before you guys arrived." He held up a sketch of a clown, with a sinister smile and eyes that were shaped like darts. In the clown's hand was a skull, about to be crushed by the clown's thumb and index finger. .

I couldn't help but giggle. Clowns. Sebastian was afraid of clowns.

"So… get started. I can't wait to see what you come up with."

Something I feared. Hmm…. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm afraid of a lot of things. Take spiders, for example. And cats, snakes… Pretty much everything that has legs and crawls. But _fear... _it was a strong word.

Right off the bat, I knew what I could draw. I just didn't know if I could draw it without having my heart broken into a million pieces.

"Are you alright, Bella?" Ashley, the girl sitting next to me, asked in a whisper. "You look kind of green."

"I'm fine," I told her. "Thanks."

I uncapped my pen and hesitantly ran my finger along the paper. Then I began sketching the place that had been in my nightmare for years, haunting and taunting me.

Huzzah Creek.

:::&:::

Mrs. Cullen and her family, including Edward, were taking their seats in the dining room when I walked in. The sight of Edward Cullen, sober and home at seven in the evening, looked rather bizarre. I didn't know him very well, but I felt he was far from a family person. Alice shot me a smile when she spotted me, and Mrs. Cullen kindly asked me if I ate seafood since that was what we were having for dinner- lobsters and grilled fish.

Esme joined us for dinner, leaving me with no choice but to sit next to Jerkward- excuse me, _Edward_- again. The animosity and hatred in his eyes surprised me; in spite of myself, I cringe as I hesitantly settled into the seat beside him. He made it crystal clear that he didn't like me, but I couldn't imagine what I had done to make him look at me with this much hatred. His belligerence out of the blue made zero sense. Had I said anything to piss him off today? No. That's not possible. We'd barely said two words to each other.

I peeked at him from the corner of my eye; his gaze had shifted to his plate. My relief was short-lived because the moment Alice asked me how my day was Edward's eyes shot right back to my face with a scowl. Was he PMSing or what?

"You're awfully quiet today, Edward," Esme commented with a soft chuckle. "Is something the matter?"

Carlisle and Mrs. Cullen exchanged a look and that look did not go unnoticed by Edward, whose posture turned rigid. I expected a rude remark from him but it never came. "I just don't have anything to say, I guess."

"Wow. That's a first."

"Shut up, Alice."

"You see, Esme? Edward's such a jerk. I feel bad for whoever he marries in the future." The admiration and adoration Alice had and felt toward Esme was easily perceptible. In fact, Esme's presence seemed to have brightened everyone's mood- saving Edward. She was a lovely woman; down-to-earth, welcoming, and genuine. I liked her a lot.

"Well, Alice, why don't you-" Edward stopped himself after glancing in Mrs. Cullen's direction. He sighed. "Never mind."

Alice excused herself to the restroom when the adults began talking about work. Edward just looked bored out of his mind but he forced himself to stay. Personally, I thought the adults' conversation about work was somewhat interesting. They were all so devoted to their jobs that their eyes would light up as they filled each other in on what had happened these past couple of days.

Carlisle and Esme went out for a stroll after dinner. The love and devotion in their eyes made me envious; was I ever going to meet The Guy for me? And when? Don't get me wrong, I wasn't boyfriend-crazed or anything, but it was nice to have someone there for me other than Rosalie and Emmett. Speaking of Rosalie and Emmett, the three of us haven't seen each other much since Emmett dropped the bomb on me. Rose and I still text each other daily, but we'd both been so busy with school that we hadn't been able to make plans to meet up. The three of us, however, were going to this new club on Upper East Side with Riley this Saturday. It was Emmett's idea; he thought we could all use a break from school and obligations.

Alice left the house to catch a movie with Jasper, and Mrs. Cullen sauntered into the study room to make a phone call. Edward treaded up the stairs without throwing me a glance. Have you ever heard of the expression "Ignorance is bliss?" Well, in my case, being ignored by Edward was bliss.

Once I was upstairs in my room, I turned my laptop on and typed Mrs. Cullen's name into the search engine to see if the media was still obsessing over "The Hoodie Girl", just for something to do. As it turned out, news over two weeks old wasn't worth lamenting over. I, however, still couldn't get the image of Ms. BMW aiming her gun at Mrs. Cullen out of my head. I dreamt of it every other night, if not every night. And sometimes, in those dreams, I hadn't been quick enough to save Mrs. Cullen.

Clasping the screen shut, I walked over to the closet and made my way to the bathroom with my sweatpants, underwear, and t-shirt tucked in my arm. A series of soft melodies whispered its music into my ears, floating on the air the second I stepped into the hallway. My heart beating erratically, I moved quietly and indecisively toward Edward's room, which seemed to be the source of the acoustic music. The feeble music grew louder with every step I took, and I recognized the song immediately once I was close enough to make out the lyrics. _Iris. _By Goo Goo Dolls.

Edward had conveniently left his door partially open, enabling me to sneak a peek of his room. It was really him who was singing. He sat with his legs spread out on the edge of his bed, his fingers gently picking the guitar strings. Not wanting my presence to be sensed, I tore my eyes off him and turned away from the door. I wasn't afraid of facing Edward's wrath; I just figured it was best to avoid another unpleasant encounter.

"_And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming…Or the moment of truth in your lies…" _

Edward Cullen was… musical? To say I was surprised would be the understatement of the year. As much as I hate to admit this, Edward was good. He didn't sound the same as John Rzeznik, the original singer, but he brought a different style of vocal to this song as he sang.

He ended the song with a sigh. I hadn't realized that I had sprawled out on the floor in front of his room to hear him sing and play. Knowing he could walk through the door any minute, I hastily got to my feet and sprinted to the restroom. As I started stripping out my clothes, I came to realize something was missing when my eyes came in contact with the hanger.

Oh my God. My panties.

Cursing, I put all of my clothes back on and broke into a run, praying that Edward wouldn't walk out of his room right now and spot my CareBear underwear, which was given to me by Rosalie as a joke last Christmas, lying by his door. It was as if everything was in slow motion; I picked my panties up from the floor, let out a silent "yes" as I threw my fist into the air, and was about to take off when my worst nightmare came to life.

Edward stepped into the hall and widened his eyes in shock when he saw me standing outside his room. I gaped at him, mortified and immobilized by whatever trance I was in, and stared right back at him without uttering a word. His eyes then zeroed at what I was holding, the only thing between us.

Oh crap. My underwear.

He sputtered a laugh, stifled it, and then seemed to remember that he didn't have to be civil since it was _me_ standing before him.

"Say cheese, dumbass," he emitted a roar of laughter, snapping a picture of me with his phone before I could react.

Aww, crap.

* * *

**A/N: **_Huzzah Creek _has a lot to do with Bella's background, so the art club scene was there for a reason:) I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and I hope you enjoyed reading it! It's the longest chapter that I've written for this story so far...

**Review**, **please!** Let's see if we can go over the 500 mark with this chapter:D

**Update on Welcome to Drama Academy**- There has been a delay in editing. I have contacted my editor and I should be getting my manuscript back this week... I can't wait. Thank you guys so much for PMing me questions about the book's release and its progress. You're amazing for putting up with WTDA for so long:)

(This chapter will be replaced with Beta-ed chapter)


	7. Not The First Encounter

**Huge thanks to bloodredeclipse for editing! **

OOOO

"_That most delicious of all privileges - spending other people's money" ~ John Randolph _

* * *

Chapter Six:Not the First Encounter 

"Bella, which dress? Black or red? Hmm… No. Anna Lynn wore a red dress like this to homecoming last year. I hate that bitch. Black it is."

I couldn't stop myself from giggling. Rosalie, super confident, I-could-care-less-about-what-everyone-else-thinks-because-I'm-Rosalie-Hale, Rosalie, was asking my advice on fashion because going clubbing with _Emmett_ was making her giddy. Was I in an altemate universe?

"I thought you were seeking for my opinion," I teased. "Why bother calling when you end up making _all _the decisions?"

"I need you for spiritual comfort," she replied, sounding distracted. "Enough about me, when's Riley picking you up?"

My face stretched into a wide smile at the mention of Riley's name. Even though he hadn't "asked me out" in so many words, tonight was supposed to be a double date.

"Oh my gosh, it's already six o'clock and he's supposed to be here right about now. Catch you later!" I hung up on Rosalie before she could utter a response, almost missing a step on my way going down the stairs. Aside from Silvia, the housekeeper, I was the only one home. I wished her a nice weekend and she raised her eyebrow at my outfit, praising it with a smile. Nice. So my effort hadn't been unnoticed.

Riley was waiting in the lobby, wearing a green button-up shirt and black jeans. With an intake of breath, I put my hand into his as he led me to the flashy limo parked by the curb. "You look beautiful," he said with a smile before his driver opened the door for us. I thanked him and returned the compliment, blushing. Riley looked really, _really _good tonight.

We didn't talk much on our way to the night club, but it wasn't awkward the way it would have been with anyone else. Rosalie and Emmett had already arrived by the time we got there, the two of them looking like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Now that I saw them _together_, hand-in-hand and beaming, I finally realized why Rosalie had never seemed genuinely happy with all of her other boyfriends in the past. _Because none of them were Emmett. _

"Bella! Riley!" She squealed and threw her arms around me. "I love your dress, B. Oh, wait, of course I do. I picked it out."

I laughed and mockingly punched Emmett's shoulder when he rolled his eyes.

Emmett told the bouncer- a heavy Asian dude with dragon tattoos on his biceps- to let us through and Riley casually grabbed a hold of my hand without looking down. The line behind us was packed with sparsely dressed girls, already swaying their hips along the music blaring from the two-story building. A couple of guys at the front of the line glared at us for cutting in front of them but looked away when Emmett threw them _the look_.

"So, Emmett, how did you get us into _Red Roof _at its opening night?" Riley asked. "I was pretty surprised when you called."

"Dude," Emmett chuckled. "Don't be surprised by my greatness. This is nothin' compared to all the incredible things I'm doing in the future." Rosalie smacked his arm. "Nah. I'm just playing. The owner of this place went to school with my pa."

"He means his dad," I chimed in.

"Right. So anyway, I phoned and asked him to put us on the VIP list, which sounds harder than it is since the guy's as snotty as shit, but I have amazing people skills so ta-da! Here we are."

"I would be more impressed, Em, if you left out the _ta-da_," I told him, and then gasped when the interior of the building was revealed. I'm not a party person, but I've had my share of nightclubs thanks to Emmett and Rosalie. This one definitely stood out from all the others I've been to in downtown Manhattan. The entire building seemed to be above water. The only thing separating our feet from the streaming water on the ground was a thin layer of glass panel. It was impossible to see the walls, given the room was smoky and illuminated by strobe lights and moving light beams, and the staircase that led to the second story was shaped like a waterfall with actual water flowing to a pond that was really a stage for the exotic dancers in the far corner.

"This is so kickass," Rosalie chuckled. "Let's dance."

Riley gently led me to the dance floor and I laughed when he began doing the robot when _Roses _by Outkast came on. Emmett was whispering something into Rosalie's ear, which had her grinning like a fool. Like magic, they dissolved into the sea of people behind them almost instantly. With them gone, Riley and I were stuck in a sea of crazy people. The girls around us showed off their figures by giving the men a peek of their underwear, and the boys were trying to show off their packages by grinding against the girls. I was satisfied when I found myself still holding Riley's undivided attention, and he was smiling back like he was satisfied that he still held my attention. Like any other guy could distract me from Riley. The way he smiled at me made me feel… beautiful; like I was the only woman in the room.

"Riley!" A burly guy with black hair pulled Riley into a headlock, ruffling his hair. "Long time no see, bro."

Riley pushed him off and laughed, pulling him into a one-armed hug. "Bella, this is Josh Hudson, the asshole I was telling you about."

I smiled. Josh Hudson is Riley's best friend. He has been in Washington for a student exchange program for the past four months.

"Hi," I said. "I'm Bella."

"I know who you are, girl," he winked at me. "I can't get Riley to stop talking about you every time I call. You're much prettier than I imagined Bella."

Flattered, I thanked him with a timid smile and excused myself to the bar to get a cocktail, leaving the boys some time to catch up. The bartender handed me a drink with no questions asked. I guess I looked older than my actual age or he simply just didn't care.

"Hey bestie," Rosalie wrapped her arm around my shoulders, holding a glass of whatever she was having with her other hand. "Having fun? Where's Riley?"

"Catching up with Josh," I told her. "Where's Em?"

"In the men's room. So I was thinking… we never really did get a chance to talk about this, did we? I mean, the whole thing with Emmett and me. I know this must be weird for you…"

"It's fine, Rose," I waved her off. "You guys are my best friends and I'm happy for you. Honestly, I am so don't worry about there being any awkwardness."

"No awkwardness? You promise?" She bit her lip.

"I promise, just as long as you two don't go sucking each other's face off in front of me. That would be seriously disturbing since the two of you are like siblings to me."

"Gotcha." After a moment a hesitation, she punched me in the arm. "Hey! You make it sound as if we're committing incest or somethin'."

"Well, yeah. I always thought the two of you had brotherly and sisterly feelings for each other. Who would have ever thought…?"

Her cheeks reddened at my words. Rose was acting far from herself tonight; her self-consciousness was something I would never grow accustomed to. As she parted her lips to form a reply, her eyebrows knitted into a delicate frown as she peered over my shoulder. "Stalkerazzi at eight o'clock."

My smiled faltered as I followed the direction of Rosalie's gaze; my eyes landing on the guy leaning against the bar counter sipping beer. Edward's eyes were cold and contemptuous, and they didn't even flicker when I met his stare. Cowardly, I whipped my head back around and turned Rosalie's face to the side, hissing, "Don't look at him!" with my fingers twitching. What was Edward Cullen doing here? Tonight was supposed to be _my _night. His being here was going to ruin _everything_. In fact, being in the same room as him was already giving me a bad vibe.

"Who is he, Bella? Why are you breaking out in a cold sweat?"

"That's Edward Cullen," I whispered.

Rosalie's eyes went as wide and round as a pizza. "No way. This is the douchebag you've been telling me about? Cornwall Prick?"

"Cornwall Jerk, to be precise," I giggled.

She didn't try to be discreet when she peered over my shoulder for the second time to get a better look of Edward. "Huh. Too bad he's a dick 'cause he's kinda hot."

I didn't want to agree with that comment. "Stop looking at him," I hissed. "He's gonna think we're on to something then he'll make _me _pay for it."

Feeling slightly relieved after spotting Riley approaching us, I grinned and practically ran straight into his arms the moment he got to the bar. Edward wouldn't dare to try anything knowing I wasn't alone, right?

"Are you alright, Bella? You seem kind of… jumpy," Riley noted with a thoughtful frown. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong!" Agh. My voice was all wrong. Much too high-pitched.

"Hello, Riley."

The voice sounded from behind me sent chills up and down my spine. I closed my eyes, unable to believe that Edward Cullen was _here _to ruin my perfect night. I tightened my grip on Riley's hand.

"It's been a long time, Edward."

Wait. It's been a long time? Riley _knew_ Edward? Staggered, I spun around to face Satan himself, who- to my irritation- looked stunning in his white pants and black shirt. Rose was right. Such a look was wasted on a jerk like him.

He sneered at me and chortled. "Huh. You know Swan. I see you've lowered your standard."

"Hey! You better watch your mouth, Cullen," Rosalie snapped.

"And who are you? Wait; don't answer that because I don't care. You're a friend of Swan's so you can't possibly be anyone worth knowing."

This alone was enough to rile Rosalie up. No one ever disregarded Rosalie Hale. I mean, she was _Rosalie Hale_. Boys flocked to her like children flocked to candies. She gave Edward a hard shove in the chest. "Prick."

After gawking at Rosalie's hand as if she had a disease, Edward turned his head to Emmett, who had surprisingly remained quite calm throughout the entire exchange of conversation, and sneered. "You better watch your bitch."

Calling Rosalie a bitch set Emmett off like a bomb. He took a step forward with his teeth bared, but Edward didn't even look a bit intimidated. Maybe he was too stupid to feel intimidated by Emmett.

"Alright, that's enough." Riley grabbed Emmett by the shoulder, slipping between Em and Edward; who had now engaged themselves in a glaring contest. "Now would be a good time to walk away. You don't want to start another fight, Edward. Especially not now."

Edward's eyes met all of ours with disdain, saving Riley's for last. The anger inside of me intensified when his lips stretched into a condescending smirk. This asshole couldn't have been brought up by Dr. Cullen and Mrs. Cullen. He was so… _Edward_. "Trust me," he said, his voice laced with contempt. "You're not even worth my time."

Daggers were thrown in Edward's direction as he turned his back to us and walked away. Rose and Em looked incredibly pissed off, Riley remained cool and collected and I don't know what I was feeling. The fact that Riley- _my _Riley- knew Edward Cullen and didn't mention _anything _to me about it, but instead listened to me complain and yammer about how horrible Jerkward was for the past couple of weeks made me upset. Why didn't just tell me right out in the open that he knew who Edward was all along, instead of putting up the pretense?

"Bella, are you okay?" Riley's innocent frown wasn't quite enough to soften me.

"No," I said with a shake of my head. "Actually, I'm not feeling so well. I think I'll just leave." My party buzz had already been killed so I saw no point in staying. Besides, to be honest, I really was feeling quite dizzy.

"I'll take you."

"You can stay if you want," I told him. "I mean, I know you have a lot of catching up to do with Josh."

He cracked a small smile. "Don't be silly. I practically all but live with the guy. He's probably gonna want a guys' day out tomorrow anyway. There's only so much Josh a person can handle."

I couldn't help but smile. "Fine. But I should warn you, I had planned on _walking_ home. It's twenty blocks from here, mister."

"I'll survive," he grinned at me.

Rosalie seemed disappointed when I told her I was leaving, but she recovered when her latest song obsession blared through the speakers. Riley kept his hand on the small of my back as we made our way to the exit. The gesture made me feel safer since a lot of guys in the room were already quite drunk; even though it was early in the evening. We didn't end up walking home after all. Riley hailed a cab, which was a good thing since I had blisters on my feet, and the more I thought about it, the more torturous twenty blocks seemed. He offered to walk me to the lobby and I accepted, knowing this was the perfect opportunity to question him now that we were alone. I didn't bother beating around the bush, because I quite frankly didn't have the patience for it. As soon as we stepped out of the cab, I spun around to face him and asked him the question that had been swimming in my head since our unpleasant encounter with Edward.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew Edward Cullen?"

He sighed, cracking a small smile. "The truth is… I kind of know his entire family, not just Edward. We used to be good friends."

My lips stretched into an O at his statement, outraged. He knew the entire family, which meant he knew Mrs. Cullen as well.

And I had no idea until now.

"You should have told me!" I cried. "I mean, all this time I've been complaining about how horrible Edward is and if I had known you were acquainted with his family-"

"Exactly," he cut me off. "If you had known, you wouldn't have run to me with your problems. Don't you see, Bella?" My breath stilled when his left hand made a gentle grab for my shoulder. "I _want _to be that guy for you. The guy you can turn to when you need someone to listen. That's why I didn't tell you about Edward. I'm sorry. Look, I like you,." Riley smiled, taking my hand. My lips parted at the realization that he had said the three words that I had been dreaming of hearing for the past couple of months. _I like you._ "You're beautiful, intelligent, and you amaze me with the things you say and do. I really, _really_ like you."

_Wow. _This was so not how I imagined this conversation would go.

"I like you, too," I said, a little stunned. "A lot." _Was this really happening? _I made a mental note to draw a heart on my calendar around today's date as soon as I got inside. Normally I wouldn't make such a big deal over being asked out, but this was _Riley Biers_, the guy I had been crushing on for more than eight months.

"Good. Now we have_ that _out of the way…"

He closed the distance between us.

* * *

_Edward Cullen_

"Dude, it's only fifteen minutes after _ten. _And you're leaving already?" Alec asked incredulously, his voice hoarse from all of the cheering and whooping that he did earlier when an Eminem song came on. "What's the point of going to a club when you leave before midnight, dude?"

Jasper snickered and clasped a hand over my shoulder. "Give him a break. The guy has some serious sucking up to do_ and_ it's his first day of work tomorrow."

The guys let out a roar of laughter and I flipped them off, glowering at Jasper for telling these assholes about my situation because I knew for sure they were never going to let me live it down. Edward Cullen serving coffee. The concept was ludicrous.

"Which location are you working at?" Garrett asked, chuckling. "Maybe we could drop by and say hello."

I narrowed my eyes at them all. "You guys think this is funny? And Cheney, you're drooling, dumbass." I rolled my eyes heavenward when a huge blob of saliva slid down Ben's t-shirt. The asshole was laughing so hard that he couldn't keep his lips shut. What a retard. "I'm not telling you a thing. And don't you dare look me up. I would kick your asses out of the store if you guys show up."

Alec giggled, like a fucking little girl. "Yeah. In your _Bella Villagio _uniform and apron."

I groaned. I had forgotten all about the hideous clothes that I would have to wear. _Thanks for reminding me, Alec. _"Just… shut up."

"Aww, Eddie's blushing!" Garrett puckered his lips.

Jasper and I were the only ones that weren't drunk. He stayed sober tonight, forcing himself to lay off the alcohol because Momzilla Mary was home, and she would have his ass if she found out he had been drinking. As for me… Well. Let's just say I was doing my damn best to persuade my grandmother I had a change of personality. I believe not getting wasted was step one.

"To booze!" Garrett cried suddenly, raising his glass. I was surprised that he wasn't slurring since the guy looked as if he was about to pass out any second.

"To hot women!"

"To me, for being me!" Taking his last gulp, Alec flopped into the booth, snoring.

"So are you ready for tomorrow, Cullen?" Jasper asked solemnly, when Garrett and Ben wobbled their way to the dance floor once more. It was actually entertaining to watch them get turned down by women; I wondered if Ben would get a kick in the shin like the other night…

"Dude, how hard can it be? Bring food and drinks to tables. It'll be a piece of cake," I chortled.

Thank God my grandmother was already asleep by the time I got home. I did not want to have to make an awkward conversation. Dad was supposedly in his study room, since the lights were on, and Alice was getting a drink in the kitchen. Her eyes widened at the sight of me.

"Who are you and where have you taken my brother?"

"Very funny," I scoffed.

"Seriously. It's ten-forty on a Saturday night. What are you doing home?"

"Having a pointless conversation with my sister," I countered. "How was the ballet thingy?" Alice was a gifted dancer. She had been taking lessons since she was old enough to walk. My mother tried to get me into ballet as well when I was younger- completely insane on her part- but thankfully, even then I was smart enough to know cool men didn't wear tights.

"It was great!" When she began giving me a detailed description of the play, I tuned her out, although it sounds harder than it is since Alice wasn't someone you could ignore easily, given her voice was very high-pitched. "I wish Jasper could have been there though."

I laughed, trying to picture my friend paying attention to all those tutus onstage. Jasper would have had a seizure. There was a reason why we were best friend.

"Yeah, yeah. He would have had fun," I tried keeping a straight face. "I'm gonna shower."

"You should. You reek. You smell like a combination of cheap perfume, cologne, and alcohol. The worst combo ever."

"How rude, Alice. _You're_ short, but _I_ keep that obvious fact to myself."

She rolled her eyes at me and I shoved her out of the way so I could get a mug from the cupboard. Opening the fridge, I grabbed my favorite soda-_ Dr. Pepper_- and cursed when I almost knocked the mug over as I sat the soda down on the counter. The alcohol was not only messing with my head but also apparently, making me clumsy.

"Get me a glass of that," she quipped. "I'm thirsty."

I smirked at her, setting the bottle back in the fridge. "Get your own damn soda. It's not like you don't have hands."

The glower she sent me didn't even make me flinch. How pathetic. Holding her chin high, she marched to the stairs, muttering "Immature asshole", which she made certain, was loud enough for me to hear. Alice was an immature little shit herself; she just acted saint-like and grownup and talked down to me because she, like I have mentioned before, was a couple of minutes older. I hate having a twin.

My stomach growled and it surprised me since I had actually gotten loads to eat and drink at the club. Hoping that Silvia had left a piece of pie somewhere, I opened the fridge again and made a face when I saw some store-bought doughnuts at the bottom drawer. I never ate any kind of desert that wasn't homemade. They just didn't do it for me. I let out a sharp breath, slammed the door of the fridge shut, and screamed when St. George appeared before me, eyes wide and her hand over her mouth.

"Christ, woman," I glared at her. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Trying to sneak up on me?"

"I… I'm sorry," she stammered, looking bewildered. "I was just hoping to get a glass of water and I thought you knew I-"

"How could I have sensed your presence when you were as quiet as a mouse?"

"I said I was sorry." I could tell she was getting impatient with me, but at the same time, still slightly intimidated.

"Well, get your damn water and go," I snapped at her. "Try not to spill anything on the carpet. They were shipped from Egypt. Super, fucking expensive."

The disdainful look she threw me, as if _she_ were smarter than me, made me want to curse again. It was one of the many things that I had grown to hate about St. George. She thought she was so mature, intelligent, and right about everything when she was really just a girl who went to a second-rated private school with zero connection to the Upper East Side before she met Gran. The thought of her of all people looking down on me sent me into a fit of laughter. Swan looking down on a Cullen, what a laugh.

"I'm not going to kill your precious carpet with H2O, Edward," she retorted sarcastically. "Don't give yourself a heart attack. Now if you'll excuse me…"

She gave a little whirl of her eyes as she walked away, sipping water from _my _house, using _my _cup. As I watched her approach the stairs, it hit me for the first that she was actually dressed up, wearing a club dress, high-heels and all of that. It's funny how I didn't notice any of it at _Red Roof_. I guess seeing Riley and that blond bitchy friend of St. George's pissed me off to the extreme. What was her name? Rosalie? That curly-haired dude called her Rosalie. Uglyass name, if you ask me.

"Halt."

She stiffened at the sound of my voice. Shock was evident on her face as she slowly spun around to face me. "Excuse me?_ Halt?_ Who do you think you are, a military officer?"

I ignored her and cut straight to the chase, not bothering to make a pointless civil conversation. I don't do subtle. "Are you dating Riley Biers?"

She seemed taken aback. Her eyes dropped to the floor with a secretive smile and when she picked her head back up, she looked unreasonably cheerful and happy. What the hell?

"I am. And I have you to thank for that.'

"Me?" I repeated with disbelief. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

She shook her head and smiled that mysterious smile again, a smile that was thinning my patience, or my lack of, anyway. The strangest thing was that it was the only smile that she had shown in the weeks that I had known. To think Riley Biers had something to do with it…

"It was our talk about you that brought us together," she giggled. "Goodnight, Edward."

What the hell is up with her?

* * *

A/N: I apologize for the super long wait! I got this chapter done almost a month ago but my computer crashed before I got the chance to update( which also explains why I haven't been responding to your PMs and reviews). A lot of you thought I was abandoning this story! I would never do that:)** Reviews are appreciated:)**


	8. On to You

_"Money, if it does not bring you happiness, will at least help you be miserable in comfort."~ _

_Helen Gurley Brown_

**_

* * *

_**

Chapter Seven: On to You

_Edward Cullen_

A couple of years ago, Alice made me watch this dumbass chick-flick called "A Cinderella Story". In the movie, the blonde girl- what was her name again?- lost everything she had when her dad died and ended up having to work part-time at a diner that her stepmother owned. I could somewhat relate to how she felt.

I sighed as I took in my appearance in the mirror one last time before heading out. This was insane. I was up at six in the morning on a Sunday to _work_. Who does that to their grandchildren? While Alice was sound asleep snoring in her warm, comfortable bed, _I _had to get up and fix myself breakfast- Silvia doesn't get in until six-thirty on Sundays- and _I _had to figure out how to get to freaking Bronx.

Silvia came in with grocery bags just as I was about to leave the house. It took me half and hour to get ready; I really hadn't noticed. She asked me if I wanted her to make me something before I headed out and I curtly told her no, because I didn't really have much of an appetite. The thought of spending my entire day serving coffee to idiots who failed to realize exactly how fattening the deserts they ordered were made me too sick to eat. I'd probably just throw the food up as soon as I got to the shop anyway.

The moment I left the building, I froze when an important question hit me like a brick. How the hell was I going to get to Bronx without Jared? I mean, not having a driver in New York was like not having legs. I supposed I could hail a cab, but since Grandma was strict about the "no allowance" policy, I was only left with twenty-eight bucks. How was twenty-eight bucks supposed to get me through the day?

I considered walking, but Bronx was about twenty miles from the Upper East. It would be nightfall by the time I got there. _Think, Edward. Think, think, think…_

Jasper. My God. Why didn't I think of him earlier? He had his own driver.

Smiling, I dialed his number and almost kissed the screen when the call got picked up. My smile faltered when it was Mary, his crazyass mother, who answered. She greeted me with too much enthusiasm this early in the morning and asked me what I needed Jasper for. She offered to deliver the message once Jasper was awake. Hastily, I told her I had pressed dial by accident and hung up as quickly as I could without seeming rude.

So getting Jasper to help could be crossed out. How on earth do people travel or get around without a driver?

Damn it. Cab it is.

Bronx turned out to be closer than I thought, which made the cab fare affordable for today. The cab driver was obnoxious, trying to make a conversation with me when all I wanted was to close my eyes and get a couple of minutes of sleep. I felt almost relieved when the shop came into view.

"What, no tip?" The cab driver asked as I set foot out of his car.

"Sorry, man. I'm short on cash," I said apologetically.

The driver scoffed and sped away as soon as I closed the door behind me. What a jackass. Tips were optional; not a must. _Take a deep breath_, _Cullen, _I told myself. _If you screw this up, then military school awaits._ I pushed the door open, and I was hit with a familiar coffee scent that I had grown to accept over the years. By the kitchen stood who I assumed was the manager, an okay-looking middle-aged woman with dark skin and jet black hair. She stiffened when she saw me, but composed herself as she began approaching where_ I_ stood, which was by the door.

"Mr. Cullen?"

I nodded my head.

"Carmen Rose." Her handshake was firm. Good. At least she wasn't a poser like that last woman, Vera, from the Upper East Side location. "Welcome to the team." Turning her head aside, she hollered, "Everyone, kitchen, please!"

Three guys and a blonde girl shuffled towards the kitchen. Once we had better lighting, I noticed that they were all older, in their early twenties, maybe. My guess was that they were all college students, working part-time. My grandmother always had a soft spot for the local college students.

The look that those guys threw me couldn't be described as friendly. It pissed me off to see them disregard me, but I figured it was only because they had no idea I was the owner's grandson and they were just put off with having a newcomer around. The girl didn't pay me too much attention, which was good because I didn't want to have a Bimbo hanging around me and trying to catch my attention. We formed a circle around Carmen, who, with a voice laced with authority, announced that I was the newest addition to the shop and asked my co-workers to treat me nicely and assist me if I were ever in need of help. The guys nodded reluctantly and returned to their stations- excuse me, _tables_. Carmen told the girl to flip the open/close sign over, now that it was seven o'clock, which left just the two of us in the kitchen.

"Before you go, I think it's only fair that I tell you what exactly Mrs. Cullen has assigned me to do." She cleared her throat before proceeding. "She wants me to evaluate your job performance here at the shop everyday and email it to her."

"What?" I chortled at the ridiculousness of it. "So you're like, grading me? Based on how well I bust tables?"

"Edward, you are expected to take this job seriously. Frankly, I don't care whose grandson you are. I am the manager, therefore I am partially responsible for your actions. Your previous behavior at the other location won't be tolerated under my watch. If you walk out that door without informing me beforehand, that's it, buddy. You're fired. Your being a Cullen doesn't make a difference to me. Your grandmother specifically instructed me to treat you as I would any other employee."

I blinked at her, a bit surprised by her sudden outburst. It sounded as if she had that entire thing rehearsed.

"I just wanted you to be filled in on the situation before you do anything you might regret later. So, get to work. Joseph will show you around and give you a quick tour."

_It's a freaking coffee shop, not the White House. Why the hell would I need a tour? _

"Whatever," I muttered. "Oh, who's Joseph?"

"He's waiting for you by the counter," she said. "Well, I hope you have a good time working with our team."

_As if. _"Thanks. Well, here I go!"

She seemed displeased by my sarcasm, but didn't comment on it. Joseph turned out to be the guy who stood the farthest away from me while Carmen gave her welcome speech; his eyes narrowed into slits when he spotted me approaching.

"You've kept me waiting," he said flatly.

"Not my fault," I told him. "Carmen had a lot to say."

"Alright. Well, for now, you're assigned to cashier duty. Do you know how to work a cash register?"

"Nope."

He gave a little snort and uttered, "I figured."

His attitude was beginning to irritate me. From the very moment I stepped into the shop, I had noticed him shooting daggers at me. I didn't even know him. Unless we had a previous encounter that I wasn't aware of?

"Dude, what the hell is your problem? Do I know you or something?"

"No problem," he sneered. "I just don't like how everyone's making a big deal about you coming here. Oh, I know all about who you are, superstar. In fact, we all do. Edward Cullen. The respected Elizabeth Cullen's spoiled grandson."

"You better watch your tongue," I warned him, feeling my temper rising.

"I'm sorry if I offended you, Your Majesty," he rolled his eyes with a laugh. "Listen, you better not stir shit while you're here. Unlike you, Annie, Reese, Tony and I actually _need _this job for our tuition. Not that I expect you to understand since you have probably never worked for anything in your entire life. But let me make this clear, Edward Cullen. This job isn't a game to us, as it is to you."

"Don't judge me when you don't even know me. I don't need to prove anything to you," I scoffed. Joseph wasn't the first person to accuse me of being spoiled, but he was as sure as hell the first person to say it to my face.

"Fine," he said, shrugging. "Whatever you say, Your Grace. So, shall we get started on the cash register?"

Dick.

The cash register was the worst freaking invention _ever._ It hated me. When Joseph was the one pressing the damn buttons, it would cooperate, but somehow whenever _I _took over, the machine just wouldn't work. That Annie girl had a great laugh out of it; so did Tony and that other dude whose name I couldn't remember. I wanted to punch Joseph for smiling so condescendingly but I held back because I knew there would be plenty of opportunities in the future for revenge. At around seven-thirty, customers began to pour in, and that was when I panicked. Since it was clear I didn't exactly get on with the cash register, Carmen, "my boss", instructed me to take orders with Annie, claiming it was the easiest job for a newcomer. After Annie "demonstrated"- like I didn't know the meaning of taking customers' orders- she told me to give it a try when a plump lady, with her seven-million pounds, stumbled to the corner booth. Tony politely told her that someone would be there shortly to take her orders after he got her seated, and I guess that someone was me.

"Don't forget to smile, Edward," Annie hissed. "Customers like happy shops."

I sighed. Smile. Given my situation, smiling was the last thing I wanted to do. I heard her muttering, "He is so going to ruin our business" as I headed toward the fat lady's table with a menu tucked under my arm.

"Good morning. May I take your order?"

"Too flat!" Annie hissed again, indicating my tone. I hadn't realized she was within earshot.

A bead of sweat rolled down the woman's cheek, and she seemed so out of breath that I would have assumed she had gone for a run if she wasn't wearing a dress.

"Hmm… I'll have a _Villagio _Cappuccino, strawberry shortcake…" Long pause. Which means, it was my turn to speak.

"Will that be all?"

Annie shot me a dirty look. As if it was _my _fault that I sounded bored.

"No… I can't decide between fudge and Crème Brulee… Which one do you prefer?"

"Fudge?" I shrugged.

"Yes. But you see, I'm trying to cut back on the weight. I believe Crème Brulee is less fattening since it doesn't have chocolate…"

I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing. I took in her form- her lack of, anyway- and let me eyes linger on the thick layer of fat around her waist. Did she even have a waist? I couldn't really tell since her chest and her stomach were connected together to this big blob of… blob.

"Trust me, Crème Brulee isn't gonna help," I chortled. "I doubt even salad would help." The woman's face reddened at my comment and she looked pissed off. Afraid that she was going to jump me and suffocate me with her weight, I added, "No offense."

"I'm so, so, so sorry," Annie cried, appearing to be in shock as she scurried over. "He's new here and today's his first day… I promise this won't happen again. Whatever you want today we will be happy to provide it for free."

The fat woman let out a loud "humph" and said she wanted both Crème Crulee and fudge. Well. She should have done that in the first place to save all of us the time and trouble. Or maybe she had planned for the free meal from the very beginning…

"Edward. Office, please."

I closed my eyes. I hadn't realized that Carmen Rose, the manager, had witnessed the whole thing. What happened to "honesty is the best policy?" That was all I did; I told the fat lady the truth.

"Edward…"

"I'm coming," I sighed. As I followed her to the office, I caught a sight of Joseph, Reese and Tony laughing in their station. Assholes.

Somehow, though it seemed impossible, I managed to stay in the shop until three, which was the end of my shift. My legs were stiff since I had been on my feet for the past eight hours, with only a short half an hour break for lunch at one o'clock. Before I left, Carmen gave me the schedule that my grandmother had emailed her that morning. I had Fridays and Saturdays off, and the information surprised me since I thought my grandmother was going to make me work seven days a week. So she wasn't _completely _heartless. On weekdays, I was expected to show up right after school for a three-hour shift. On Sundays, I was expected at seven o'clock like today. _I wonder if Grandma would let me have Sundays off as well if I tell her I've suddenly become very religious and have made up my mind to go to church every week… _

I called Jasper and asked him to pick me up from work since I didn't have enough money for cab fare. Jasper teased me when I got inside his limo and asked me if I got hit on by any of my co-workers or customers while I was working. I was in no mood for jokes so I gave him the finger and tuned him out, hoping to catch some sleep.

The ride turned out to be a lot shorter than I had expected. I had only napped for what seemed like three minutes when he shook my shoulders and announced that we were in front of my building.

"Thanks for the ride," I told him.

"No problem. So how will you get to Bronx after school tomorrow?"

Crap. I hadn't thought about that. "I don't know," I told him. "I'll figure something out. I just hope my grandmother comes to her senses soon- this whole thing is ridiculous."

He smiled sympathetically and wished me luck. At the gate, I bumped into Alice, who very cheerfully waved me goodbye as she climbed into Jasper's limo. The two of them were off to a concert in Times Square, and had spent the entire morning having brunch while I was working my ass off in my grandmother's shop. Talk about unfair.

"You're home," Silvia greeted me with a smile as soon as I came through the door. "I baked your favorite blueberry pie. It's in the kitchen."

"Oh. Thanks."

"I figured you would need something to cheer you up. How was work?"

I grimaced and told her I really didn't want to talk about it. On my way to the kitchen, I saw that Grandma wasn't in the living room, which meant she wasn't home. _Nice._ I pulled out a bar stool and took two slices of pie from the plate. Silvia strolled into the kitchen, holding a coat that my dad must have left on the couch by accident.

"Mr. Edward, do you have any laundry… Miss Bella!" Silvia smiled when she spotted St. George coming down the stairs. "Would you like a piece of homemade blueberry pie? I just pulled it out from the oven a couple of minutes ago."

"I… uh…" I could tell she was going to say yes but she thought better of it after catching the look that I threw her.

"Oh, come on! You can't leave the Cullen Residence without trying my pie. You'll regret it!" Silvia enthused.

St. George cracked a smile. "Okay. Just a slice then. Thank you." Gingerly, she took the seat beside me and thanked Silvia again when she handed her a plate and a fork. She helped herself to _my _pie and complimented Silvia's culinary skills, which made Silvia grin from ear to ear.

"So," I said, and she jumped at the sound of my voice. "Where were you just now?"

"Out," she answered simply, not meeting my eyes.

"With who?"

"With a friend."

"Rosa-bitch? Oh, I'm sorry. I meant Rosalie."

_That _ticked her off. She glared at me and scoffed. "Don't drag my friend into this. I get that you have a problem with me-"

"I don't have a problem with you," I cut her off. She shot me an incredulous look. "I just have a problem with the fact that you're living in my house." _And you inheriting my share of fortune_. "You're not a Cullen, the last time I checked."

She rolled her eyes and murmured something like, "Here we go again." She stabbed what was left of her pie with her fork and stuffed it in her mouth. Then she hopped off the stool and walked away. She freaking walked away from me. Bella Swan was one of the most infuriating people that I had ever met.

My cellphone buzzed and I answered without checking caller ID. Bree sounded excited that I had answered, and I felt a bit guilty since I had been ignoring everyone's calls for the past couple of days.

"Okay, remember you asked me to look up Bella Swan's background?"

"Hold on," I told her, not wanting our conversation to be overheard in case St. George was lingering in the hallway. I ran upstairs to my room and slammed the door shut. "Alright. Talk."

"Little was found about her. And I mean _very _little," she said. "She was born and raised in Bronx. Her father, Charles Swan, works on a ship. She's a year younger than us but you said she's already a senior? She must have skipped a grade." Bree didn't give me anything that I didn't know already. What a disappointment.

"That's it?" I asked. "No criminal records or anything like that? Or anything out of the ordinary?"

Bree giggled. "Nope. Sorry. Although…" she stopped. "I think it's really strange that we didn't find anything about her mother or her maternal family."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Strange, huh? My friend promised that he'd keep digging for dirt. If he gets back to me, I'll call you."

"Alright. Thanks, Bree."

She asked me how today went and I distractedly gave her a brief summary of my morning. I was still thinking about what she had told me. Nothing else was found about Bella Swan? How was that possible? And little help this was going to do for me. I mean, I had to prove to grandma that Bella Swan wasn't as perfect as she looked, but there was nothing I could hold against her. Damn it.

There had to be something. _Anything…_

* * *

"Edward! Go take table six's order!" Annie uttered from two tables down, furiously scribbling something down on the pad. Six o'clock was usually the busiest time for us at the shop; that was when the professors and teachers from the local community colleges and high school got off work. Thank God I could get off in about an hour.

"Hi, my name is Edward. May I take your…" I broke off mid-sentence when I met the eyes of the guy who was sitting across from the couple. It was Ethan Andrews from school. Shit.

"Edward _Cullen_?"

I couldn't speak. I just stared at him. What the hell was he doing in Bronx of all places? I was so screwed. If words about me working got out… my social life was pretty much over. One of the richest guys at school serving coffee to commoners… I cringed at the thought of how the other kids at school would react.

"You know this guy?" The older man, who I assumed was his father, asked incredulously.

"Yeah. We go to school together," Ethan responded.

His mother raised her eyebrow. I knew what she was thinking: why would a person need to work after school when he could afford to go to one of the most expensive schools in the country? "That's very… surprising," she said. "Well, I'll take a vanilla latte. George? Ethan?"

"I'll have take a hazelnut."

"I'll just have a hot chocolate."

I grinded my teeth. Was this seriously happening? I was taking Ethan Andrews's coffee order? The guy was pretty much at the bottom of the freaking social ladder- which, I guess, was pretty obvious since the guy was out getting coffee with his _parents _for heaven's sake. He was the kind of student that I wouldn't be caught dead talking to at school.

"Try not to make it _too _sweet since I'm going to order a blueberry muffin to go with it. I didn't like it that much the last time I ordered it," he added thoughtfully. It took all of my self-restraint to not punch the know-it-all nerd in the face. Who the hell did he think he was, bossing me around and telling me what to do, acting like he was actually above me just because I was in an apron?

"I'll be right back with your order." I tried to flash a warm smile, but I didn't succeed since I didn't have a friendly bone in my body.

When Ethan excused himself to take a piss, I cornered him in the men's room. He all but shrieked like a little girl when I blocked the door with my frame.

"Edward! What are you doing here… my parents are out there. Waiting for me," he said, his voice quavering.

"Listen, Andrews. Not a word about _this_," I gave him a look and he nodded, knowing exactly what I was referring to. The kid had to be pretty smart to get straight As, "to anyone at school. In fact, not a word about me working here to anyone. Period. You get it? If you go around and run that mouth of yours," I chuckled. "Let's just say I will make the rest of your senior year very difficult."

"There's no need for that," he stuttered. "I won't say a word. I promise."

"Good. Enjoy the rest of your meal." I patted his shoulder and he winced. Throwing me one last look of uncertainty, he scurried out of the door, desperate to get back to mommy and daddy's side. What a loser.

"See you tomorrow, Edward," Annie smiled at me when I changed back into the clothes that I came in, my school uniform. Joseph and Tony just looked grateful that I was done for the day; they acted as if I was a nuisance, which, I admit, I kind of was if you take the two plates that I'd broken the past week into consideration. Still, they could have _tried _to hide their dislike toward me. I felt as if I was living in an alternative universe. Most people put up with me because of my family's name and wealth. But that's not the case with Joseph and Tony. They, commoners, talked down to _me_, a Cullen,instead of the other way around- how crazy is that?

"You wouldn't want to miss the royal feast," Joseph whispered, snickering as he swiftly carried a pancake and a cup of coffee to table eight. I shot a dirty look at him and chose to ignore him. "Happy Tuesday, your highness."

Clenching my fists, I exited the shop and smirked when I spotted Jasper's limo waiting by the street. Jasper Whitlock was a freaking lifesaver. He had been giving me rides after school to Bronx and picking me up from Bronx for the past seven days. He knew I couldn't afford a cab and he knew calling Jared was off limits- Grandma's orders- so he kindly offered his limo. God knows how I could get around without him now that I couldn't use the family limo.

Sam, Jasper's driver, got out of the limo and opened the doors for me when he saw me approaching the limo. Jasper wasn't in the car, which didn't come as a surprise to me since he spent the majority of his free time with my sister. They were probably doing some sick, romantic shit somewhere, and honestly I didn't care as long as he remembered to tell Sam to come and get me from Bronx.

"Long day, Mr. Edward?" Sam chuckled when he heard me sighing from the backseat.

"Really long. Twelve hours without a break in between is exhausting."

Sam smiled wryly and I instantly felt like a dumbass. He had to work longer than twelve hours a day yet there I was complaining. _Stupid. _

I stared out of the window, watching the buildings pass us with a blur since I'd decided to keep my mouth shut for the rest of the ride, in case I blurted out something stupid again. Bronx was quite different from Manhattan. Less cars, less people, and it suited me just fine. Although given the chance, I would pick the Upper East Side over it in a heartbeat. Sam slammed on the brake when the light turned red and apologized when he saw that I had banged my head against the window by the sudden movement. I told him it wasn't a big deal, even though it freaking hurt, and rubbed the sore spot with my wrist. Yeah, yeah. I suppose I was being kind of a baby. But a bang in the head didn't exactly help ease my headache.

That was when I noticed _her_. St. George… I mean Bella Swan. She was walking down the sidewalk with her schoolbag over her shoulder, her head down, as if she was afraid someone would see her. I was sure it was her. The hair color, the height… it was most definitely Bella Swan.

As Sam drove away, I craned my neck and tried to see which building she had disappeared to, and I gasped when I found got my answer.

_Bronx Psychiatric Center._

* * *

A/N: It's been forever since I last update and I'm so, so sorry. I've been really busy with school and publishing _Welcome to Drama Academy... _Who knew self-publishing could be so much work?

Lately I've been told that this story is similar to the Korean drama, _Shining Inheritance._ I see the similarities plotline-wise, but I assure you this story will turn out to be completely different. I am not trying to rip off the drama, I promise.

Update on WTDA: WTDA just got its ISBN number! It's so exciting! Right now I am working on the cover design. I don't know when it will be out, but I'm hoping soon. Please follow me on Blogspot if I want more updates! The link is on my profile.

Thank you for waiting so patiently for this chapter and for being so understanding and supportive about everything. You guys rock:) And please review:) I love reading your thoughts.


	9. Confrontation

_"The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money."_

_~ Thomas Jefferson_

* * *

Chapter Eight: Confrontation

_Bella Swan_

I poured fresh water into the vase sitting by my mother's bedside, smiling involuntarily when I saw her happily gobbling down the donuts that I got for her from the bakery across the street. Mom was rarely this cheery, and the sight of her happy made _me _happy. Moments like this made me forget what the two of us had gone through since… since _it _happened.

"Katie, your father called last night. He said he's coming home in two weeks," she said enthusiastically. Anyone could have seen the love and devotion in Mom's eyes when she spoke of Dad. Most people would have said they were an unlikely pair, with my mom working in the music industry and my dad working on ships, but no one could deny their chemistry.

"That's great, Mom. That's really, really great."

"Oh, Katie, when he comes home, the three of us can be a family again!" she sighed. "One big, happy family."

I stayed only until six-thirty. On my way out, the nurses gave me a sad smile and filled me in on my mother's progress. They said she had a rough day yesterday; she cried, thrashed around for hours and the crying only ended when she fell asleep. Feeling the familiar stings in my eyes, I thanked them and swiftly walked out of the hospital. Mom was supposed to be getting better after all these years of treatment. But she wasn't.

I took a deep breath and composed myself before I walked into the Cullens' apartment. The last thing I needed was for Edward to sense something wrong with me and take it as an opportunity to make my day worse. I didn't like to think badly of people, but from the first moment I saw Edward, I knew he was bad news. The way he looked at me gave me the feeling that I should always have my guard up around him.

Mrs. Cullen and her family were already seated around the dining room table by the time I walked in. I knew I was late, and I had already thought of the perfect excuse to tell them. Alice was the first one to see me; she smiled at me and cheerily announced "Bella's home!" The other Cullen sibling, however, didn't have quite the same reaction. The look that he threw me was so unfriendly that I flinched. You would think I had gotten used to his hostility by now, but the truth was, I hadn't.

We had chicken casserole as our main course for dinner, which, I later found, was one of my favorite dishes by Silvia. Beside me, Edward was tuning her sister out as she filled her grandmother and dad in on what she did today in school and after school. Alice was quite a chatterbox; once she started talking, it seemed impossible for her to stop.

"How was your day, Edward?" Mrs. Cullen asked when she spotted her grandson rolling his eyes, looking bored out of his mind.

"My day was great," he responded sarcastically. "Busting tables is actually a lot of fun. I might decide to make a career out of it in the future." Dr. Cullen and Mrs. Cullen tensed up at his words. Neither of them looked too happy with his smartass reply. Edward threw his fork on his plate and got to his feet. "Excuse me."

Dr. Cullen tightened his fist on the table just as Edward began walking out of the room. "Where do you think you're going? You are not excused."

"I wasn't asking for permission," he retorted. Gosh, the nerve of him… Dad would kick me out of the house if I ever talked to him with Edward's attitude.

"Sit back down, Edward!"

Alice and I exchanged an awkward look from across the table. She smiled at me and put some more carrots on her plate.

"Okay, okay!" Edward raised his arms in a surrendering gesture. Reluctantly, he pulled out his chair and made a face as he sat back down. "Are we happy now?"

I saw Alice giggling from across the table. Dinner at the Cullen residence wasn't exactly the happy picture that you see on T.V. For one, Edward always looked as if the entire world had offended him. He didn't talk unless a question was thrown in his way. His father wasn't much of a talker either. Dr. Cullen was incredibly busy; I don't think I'd ever seen him go five minutes without his Blackberry, and that included meal time.

Alice said she was sleeping over at Bree's, which I'd recently found out was the girl whose foot I'd stepped on from Cornwell and also Alice's best friend. I offered to help with the dishes, but Silvia told me she was not letting a "guest" of the Cullen household help her with her chores. With nothing to do, I decided to go up to my room and watch some T.V. to kill time, until Riley got out of class.

Riley. He and I had grown closer since we told each other how we felt. So far, he had been amazing. He called every night, sometimes just to say goodnight. That gesture alone made me feel safe. Things with him were so different with Paul, my asshole ex-boyfriend who told me he was moving to Nebraska and broke up with me the day he was leaving. My favorite thing about Riley was that he wasn't ashamed of being seen with me in front of his college friends. Like two nights ago when we went to the movies, we met a couple of guys from his business class. My heart just about melted when he confidently said, "This is my girlfriend- Bella." Paul always acted like a dick around me in front of his friends. Gosh, I don't know what I ever saw in him.

I knew Edward was behind me as I mounted the stairs; I could feel his stare. But if I'd learned anything during my stay with the Cullens, it was that with Edward, ignorance was always the best move to make. I'd talked to Riley about Edward. He said Edward wasn't a bad person- he just wasn't very trusting, but he hadn't always been this way. They'd been friends, but after Edward's parents got divorced, Edward cut Riley out of his life. Riley still didn't know why it happened so abruptly.

"Swan."

I stood as still as a statue, my hand tightening around the doorknob when I heard him call my name.

Taking a deep breath, I spun around to face him. "What?" My tone was sharper than I intended it to be. When I saw him approaching me, my entire body went rigid. Edward Cullen made me nervous.

"I saw you this afternoon. In the Bronx."

His glare on my face made me break out in a cold sweat. I felt like a criminal being interrogated, or a child caught doing something she shouldn't be doing.

"Are you sick?" he demanded to know. "I mean, are you mentally ill or something? Tell me the truth." Then in a quieter voice he muttered, "I can't believe we've had a psycho under our roof the entire time. Un-fucking-believable!"

"I'm not crazy!" I scoffed, a pang of anxiety darting through me when his tall frame forced me to retreat to the corner of the hallway. This couldn't be happening. He wasn't supposed to see _anything_. Things were complicated enough as they were; I didn't need extra complexity. I should have been more careful. I should have…

"Don't you think we deserve to know the truth? You're a threat to my family. I don't care if you're crazy or mentally unstable. You. Are. A. Threat. In fact," he sneered. "You probably set up the entire shooting, didn't you? And then made yourself the hero. Who knows what kind of shit you whack-jobs can come up with…"

"I…" I fought against the tears that were threating to spill and stared straight into Edward's eyes. "I had nothing to do with the shooting! I didn't even know anything about your family until the shooting happened! And I'm not crazy! I swear it!"

"Then what the hell were you doing at a mental facility if you aren't sick? And you were pretty goddamn sneaky about it."

My lips quivered at the coldness and anger that crept into his voice. _Be strong_, I told myself. _Don't let him get to you_.

"None of your business," I told him.

"None of my business?" he repeated incredulously with a laugh. "You know what? Grandma would be so disappointed to hear this. Her beloved Isabella Swan, keeping secrets from her."

His last sentence hit me like a brick. I couldn't take the thought of Mrs. Cullen, kind and trusting, thinking I had deceived her. Just the thought of her asking me what I'd been doing in front of a mental facility, appalled and concerned, made me cringe.

"I was visiting someone," I whispered.

"Who? Who's worth your _every_ Tuesday? Don't look surprised," he sneered when he saw my widened eyes. "You come home late every Tuesday. With different excuses. I'm not incapable of linking things together."

"I can't tell you," I said, looking down to the floor. I wanted to say "a friend", but Edward was right; his family deserved to know the truth. I know if the situation were reversed, I'd want to know if I had someone mentally unstable in my home.

He made a grab at my shoulders and shook me so hard that I couldn't breath. "The truth, Swan. Are you sick or not?"

"I'm not!"

"The hell you're not! Then who the hell were you visiting?"

"I told you I can't say anything. It's none of your busi-"

"TELL ME!" His roar cut me off. "Tell me. NOW!"

Dizziness overtook me as I met Edward Cullen's burning gaze. "Fine! If you must know, I was visiting my_ mother_! Now leave me alone!"

As soon as the words left my lips, I instantly regretted them. Dad and I had kept it a secret for almost ten years, and I blew it. God, why, why, _why_, did I let Edward Cullen get to me?

He lowered his arms, appearing to be in shock, and I took it as an opportunity to push him out of the way. I made a sprint for my bedroom door and locked it as soon as I got inside.

I buried my face in my pillow and cried.

* * *

Edward Cullen

Her mother. She was visiting her _mother_. I thought her mother was dead, or maybe she didn't have a mother. I thought that was why I couldn't get any information on her.

Dazed, I sank to the floor, still processing everything she had just said. I saw her screaming the words at me again. _You bullied the truth out of her, Cullen_, the rational side of me reprimanded. I grabbed her, shouted and screamed at her… Jeez, what was happening to me? Why did I lose control around the Swan girl? I was never violent around girls. And even if she _were _sick, it wasn't prudent of me to get her to admit her sickness to me by yelling. In fact, if anyone was a nutcase, it was me. I was so taken with the idea that I might have something to hold against her to kick her out of my home, to disinherit her from my legacy, that I lost control of my temper. What the hell was wrong with me?

My cell phone rang, and I ignored it when I saw 'Bree' flashing on caller ID. When she called a second time, I answered, because I'd made it clear with her to not do that unless it was urgent.

"Hello?"

"Edward! I got the information that you wanted!" Bree sounded excited. "About Isabella's mom. You'll never guess who she is!"

"Who?"

"Her mother is Renee Dwyer! You know, the singer?"

I felt lightheaded. Renee Dwyer was a famous singer from the late nineties. My parents used to play her music all the time in the house. When she vanished all of a sudden, the media made a huge deal out of it. For months, every tabloid and newspaper was discussing where Renee Dwyer had gone.

"You're joking, right?"

"I'm not!" she giggled. "Oh my gosh, she's a superstar's daughter! I wonder where her mom has gone. Do you think she left her?"

My stomach was in knots. Something was making me queasy; guilt, I later realized. I couldn't stand being in this conversation any longer. Bella Swan… She wasn't lying. No wonder she didn't want me to know who she was visiting. _Renee Dwyer. That's why she disappeared. She's been inside a mental facility all this time._ Everything fit.

I. fucked. Up.

"Swan." I knocked on her door. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Hearing her quiet sobs from the other side of the door made me feel awful. The thought that I was the one who caused her misery turned my stomach instead of bringing me joy, like I thought it would. I called her name again and again but gave up on my fifth try. She didn't want to see me, which was completely understandable. Frankly, she was treating me a lot better than I deserved to be treated. If I were her, I'd slap me or punch me in the nose or do something equally painful.

I didn't know what to do so I sat in front of her door. Swan didn't come out throughout the rest of the night; I stayed where I was until morning.

She ignored me.

When she opened her door at six in the morning to use the restroom and found me asleep on the floor, my legs sprawled awkwardly, she barely even glanced at me. On her way to the restroom, I fell into step behind her and uttered my most sincere apology. She acted like I didn't exist. Then I followed her back to her room after she used the toilet; she shut the door to my face.

I wouldn't have felt as horrible if she seemed angry. Swan just looked… hollow, and that added to my guilt.

I trailed behind her on our way to school. When she made a turn for St. George, I saw her let out a sigh of relief, happy to be finally rid of me. Bree and Alice waved at me from across the street; Jasper rolled down his window when his limo went pass me. Typical day, yet I didn't feel like me. I felt like _shit_.

"You look like shit," Alice told me, voicing my thought as soon as I met the girls in front of the class building. "Tough night?"

_Hell yes. _"You look shorter, Al."

She blew a raspberry at me. Very lady-like.

Jasper greeted me with a nod and walked off to class with Alice, the two of them hand-in-hand and so cheerful that you would think they were the only two people around. This is exactly why I didn't want a girlfriend. I returned my gaze back to Bree, who was staring at me with a smile.

"Morning, Edward."

"Bree, about what you said last night… about Swan," Making sure no one was within earshot, I pulled Bree closer until my lips were inches away from her ear. "We need to keep that information to ourselves. We can't let anyone else know."

"I know. I won't blab. Still," she pursed her lip. "Aren't you curious? I mean, why doesn't she want people to know who her mother is? There must be a reason."

"Even so, I don't want to know what it is." _Liar. You already know why._ "I'm done with Swan."

She frowned at me, puzzled at my sudden disinterest. "Weeks ago, you asked me to find out everything there was to know about Isabella Swan. Now you don't _care_?" she questioned incredulously. "Did something happen?"

"No! Of course not!" I exclaimed. _Very convincing, Cullen._ "I just think she isn't worth any more of our time."

Bree nodded and changed the subject. One of the many things that I liked about her: she wasn't persistent, which was a nice change since I came from a stubborn family.

I remember when Bree and I first started hanging out in freshman year, people stared and whispered gossip to each other about how the two of us might have been together. Now they do neither; they were used to it. In fact, everyone just_ assumed_ we were together. It wasn't a bad thing really; Bree was my shield from the hormonal teenage girls at school who were desperate to find a boy to cling to.

Before we walked into the Chemistry classroom, the class whore- I mean student body president- Lauren Mallory stopped us at the door and greeted us with her plastic smile. She spent the longest time sucking up to me in freshmen and sophomore year after she found out about my relation to my grandmother; she gave up after sensing I would _never _give her the time of the day.

"Guys! Party at my place this Friday! You _have _to be there! It's gonna be fab!"

Lauren was under the impression that if she shortened her vocabularies, she would sound smarter. For example, she used 'fantas' for fantastic, 'awes' for awesome, 'bril' for brilliant… She's a complete moron. She was only elected class president because the other candidate was Eric Yorkey, the biggest nerd and pervert at school. I skipped the election, along with the other fifty-percent of the school.

"My brother's inviting a couple of his college friends from Columbia. Bree, you might know some of them."

Bree looked uncomfortable. "Well, I…"

"Great! So you're coming!" Lauren cut her off, squeezing her hand. "Edward? How about you? Jasper and Alice will only show up if you come."

"No can do," I said. "I already have plans this Friday."

"Can't you cancel or something?" Did her smile… _twitch_?

"Nope." As if I would never cancel any of my plans for Lauren Mallory's _fab _party. "You need to move, Mallory. You're blocking the way in and there's a whole line behind us."

She sighed, crestfallen. "Fine. Let me know if you change your mind!"

Bree and I exchanged a look as she walked away. Idiot. Though I didn't know why this _idiot _was one of the smartest kids in class; academically, of course. Bree asked me if I really wasn't going to go, and I told her there was no way in hell I was going. Even if it were someone else's party, I still wouldn't go. I always had something reserved on Friday. And like Swan, I couldn't let anyone else know.

Great. Swan. There she was in my head again. _Why _did I have to think of her?

* * *

Bella Swan 

I cannot believe I let Rosalie talk me into going on a double date with her and Emmett again tomorrow night. Because it worked out _so _well the last time when we bumped into Edward. Actually, now that I think more closely about it, the last time wasn't so bad. Riley and I… finally became a couple. Still, I didn't want Edward Cullen to screw my evening up again.

Speaking of Edward Cullen… It had been almost two months since I told him the truth about my visit to the mental facility. The two of us hadn't exchanged a word since then. I don't think any of his family perceived this change between us, since we rarely talked before.

I didn't understand it. Instead of blabbering everything he knew to everyone, he kept my mom a secret. I didn't know why. From what I had gathered from his former behavior, he was the kind of guy that would blab just to piss me off and make things difficult for me. I never accepted his apology because I didn't think he meant it. But he kept quiet. Did this mean…

Stop. Edward Cullen was a threat. I shouldn't think of him as a decent person. He was mean, rude, self-centered, manipulative and egotistic. He was anything but decent.

"So nice to see you back in the Bronx," Rosalie put her arm around me as we strolled down the familiar sidewalk. We had an early release at school today so I told Rosalie the two of us should hang out since it had been forever since we had done that. I missed our girls' time. "I feel left out now that you've moved on to a better place."

I laughed and elbowed her. "A better place? Are you serious? Trust me, I would rather live in the Bronx."

"Move back!" she said. "And you won't have to see what's-his-face anymore."

Of course, I'd considered leaving the Cullen household. But I didn't want to hurt Mrs. Cullen's feelings by leaving. Knowing her, she would think she wasn't good enough a hostess and feel bad.

Rose read my face and sighed. "Okay, okay. I know. You don't want to hurt Grandma Cullen. Bella, I would _die _if I had to see Jerkward every single day. Actually, _he_ would die because _I_ wouldn't put up with his shit." Her eyes drifted to a shiny shop across the street, and I knew Edward Cullen was off her mind for right now. But I also knew that wasn't the end of the conversation.

Did I mention that Rosalie knew what happened two months ago with Edward? I didn't mean to tell her; I knew she would kill Edward with bare hands. But I was so afraid that night that I couldn't think coherently...

"Rosalie, you bought like ten pairs of jeans in there! Your dad is going to kill you!"

"Bella, I bought four," she rolled her eyes. "And Daddy won't kill me because Daddy won't find out. This is allowance money from Aunt Peggy."

Rosalie wasn't close to her parents. It was her dad's older sister, Peggy Brooks, that she got along with. Peggy lost a child before Rosalie was born so she thought of Rose as a reincarnation of her lost daughter. I remember being jealous of their closeness when I was younger. All the fancy dresses, expensive dolls and toys… Sometimes I had wished that I was Rosalie.

"Bella."

"Huh?" Rosalie's voice pulled me from my train of thoughts.

"Is that… _Edward Cullen_?"

I lifted my head and saw that we were now standing in front of _Bella Villagio. _Gulping, my eyes wandered to the direction of Rosalie's incredulous stare. Crap. I'd forgotten all about Edward working in the Bronx.

The two of us stood there and watched Edward for a while. He looked so miserable and bored that I would have felt sorry for him if he wasn't Edward Cullen. What a strange picture.

The blood drained from my face when Rosalie headed for the door with a mischievous smile on her face. I begged her to come back but she ignored me.

"Rosalie," I hissed into her ear when she walked into the shop. "What on earth are you doing?"

She smirked and marched straight to the corner, where Edward was returning from with a stack of plates in his hands. He looked away when he saw her.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here."

For the first time in two months, Edward met my eyes and spoke to me. "Get her out of here."

"You're kicking a customer out? I was just about to order a cup of coffee. Which one do you specialize in, Cullen?" she taunted.

"Rose," I tugged the sleeve of her shirt, not liking any of this. "Come on. Let's go. Don't do this. He's working."

"Next time you want to bully someone, try picking on someone your own size." Rosalie's voice seemed to have gotten everyone's attention since the majority of the chatting in the restaurant died down. "And you better watch your back. Douchebag."

I waited for Edward to shoot a nasty comeback at Rosalie but he never did. He just stood there with his head held high, looking completely emotionless.

"'Kay. I'm done. Let's leave, Bella."

I gave Edward an apologetic nod but he had already walked away without a word. _Why has everything become so complicated?_

* * *

A/N: I apologize for the extremely long wait. School has demanded almost every single minute of my time this year so I barely have any time for writing... It might take a while for me to update, but the story WILL be finished. Thank you all so much for still reading. Reviews are very much appreciated!

Update on WTDA: This afternoon, I received a physical copy of "Welcome to Drama Academy" in the mail. I couldn't believe the book was real as I held it with my hands. After I approve the physical copy of my novel, the publishing company will print the book and WTDA will finally be available on Amazon(dot)com. I'm so excited! Thank you all for the support!


	10. Murky Territory

"Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody."~ _Benjamin Franklin_

* * *

Chapter Nine: Murky Territory

_Bella Swan_

"You _sure _you don't want heels to go with that top?" Rosalie asked nonchalantly, knowing how much I detested shoes with heels taller than two inches. "You'd look really, really cute."

I looked down at the cute summer dress that I bought the other day with her and shook my head. "I appreciate the subtleness, but no," I said with a laugh.

Emmett entered the room after giving a brief knock, his hands behind his head. Rosalie's eyes met his and the two of them stared wordlessly at each other with a smile. I felt awkward just standing there.

"Hey, Rose," he said, still smiling, and still not acknowledging the fact that I, his best friend since we were in diapers, was right beside Rosalie.

"Hey, Em."

"Hey, Bella." My voice was laced with sarcasm, which caused the two of them to turn to me with an apologetic smile. I rolled my eyes at them to show them I was only playing around, and regretted it instantly since Emmett pulled me into a headlock and ruffled my hair as we went out the door. Just like that, the awkwardness from before was gone. Despite Rosalie and Emmett being a couple, the three of us were still best friends. And as tight as ever.

Riley had a class earlier that afternoon, so I told him there was no need to pick me up and I could just take the bus with Emmett and Rosalie. Our double date tonight was actually Riley's idea, which was unusual since it was always Rosalie and Emmett suggesting that we go out. _Whatever place we're going must be pretty impressive if Riley likes it so much_, I thought before leaving Rosalie's place.

It was a half an hour ride to the Upper West Side. Emmett shook his head helplessly when I tripped over my own feet as we got out of the bus, which I responded to by shooting a dagger in Rosalie's direction and giving her an It-would-have-been-worse-if-I-wore-heels look. Spreading out the map that he had printed out from the Internet earlier, Emmett told us to follow his lead as he boasted about his excellent store-locating skill.

"I don't think we should follow him," Rosalie whispered to me when Emmett went on and on about how he managed to spot a road that his parents hadn't been able to find when he was twelve. "Emmett's not that good with directions. Remember the circus incident?"

How could I forget? In six grade, it was Emmett's sense of direction that let three circus tickets go to waste.

I raised my eyebrow when we pulled up in front of an inconspicuous restaurant, which Emmett announced to be our final destination.

"This is it?" Rosalie sounded unimpressed. "You sure you got the right address?"

Emmett nodded his head, equally baffled. "Yep. I'm pretty sure."

Then I spotted Riley approaching us from the door, his grin sending butterflies to my stomach. He had on a hunter green polo shirt that would have looked plain on anyone else, but on him, it looked_ really_ good. "There you guys are! Come on in. I reserved a booth for us."

_This place needs reservations? _Not that the restaurant was shabby or run-down or anything; it just didn't seem like the restaurants that Riley usually took me to. Perhaps that was why it was one of his favorite places, as he had told me. It was _different_.

Soft jazz music filled my eyes as we approached the entrance. Riley had a smile on his face as he led the way; Rosalie and I gasped when the inside of the restaurant was revealed to us. The restaurant looked tiny from the outside, but it was actually quite large. And it was _packed_. There wasn't an empty table in sight. In the back of the restaurant was a small stage, where a girl with voice like Kelly Clarkson was singing and playing _A Jar of Hearts_ on the pianoforte_. _The song came to an end as we took our order- coffee, cinnamon bread, and peach cobbler- and the applause of a full room rang in my ears. Impressed, I tried to picture myself standing in front of a roomful of people, singing a verse from the very same song. Then I laughed to myself because I knew there was no way that I would have ever had that kind of courage. Even though my mother was Renee Dwyer, one of the most talented musicians of her generation, I was all but tone deaf. It was Kate who inherited her music genes.

"Pretty good, huh?" Riley smiled at me.

"She was amazing," I blinked at him.

He chuckled at my response. "Then you should be even more impressed by the next performer. His music is always the most anticipated- lots of students from Brown and NYU come here every Friday just to hear him sing."

"Wow," I said, quite awed. "He must be incredible. What's his name?"

"His name is Bobby James. He's pretty mysterious, that guy. Doesn't talk to anyone here but the owner. He always draws his cap low, like he doesn't want his face to be seen, and he's always the closing act." He shook his head with a smile. "The man's got talent, I'll give you that. He comes up with a song of his own every month or so."

Hearing about this Bobby guy got me intrigued. It was obvious that he was popular with the crowd since more and more people were filing into the restaurant. A tall, lean figure walked up on stage and sat on the stool situated at the center of the platform. Like Riley had said, Bobby James' cap was drawn so low that I couldn't see the upper portion of his face. Only his mouth and jaw were revealed to us. Every person in the room quieted down when he began fixing his guitar strings.

His voice was powerful and attention-grabbing, but it was the familiarity of the voice that startled me. "Thank you for being here tonight. The first song I'm covering tonight is _Gunslinger _by Avenged Sevenfold. Hope you like it."

My jaw dropped the second I heard the first verse of the song. Impossible. I _must_ be hallucinating.

* * *

Edward Cullen

I remember how nervous I had been when I first applied for this job. I had zero experience when it came down to performing, and I wasn't sure if I was good enough to step on that stage to play for the crowd. I didn't need the money then- I only got this job for entertainment and self-fulfilling purposes.

I'd been doing this for almost a year now. And I love it. The exhilaration that I feel every time I sit on that stage with my guitar, and the sense of accomplishment that actually makes me feel good about myself for a change whenever I hear people applaud… I couldn't find those feelings anywhere else. Not at school, where people feared and respected me for my reputation and background, and most certainly_ not_ at home. The best thing about my job was I could be anyone I wanted on that stage instead of Edward Cullen, the grandson of Elizabeth Cullen and the notorious bad boy of the Upper East Side.

I'd been practicing _Gunslinger _for the past four days, since I had nothing better to do after dinner. And if I were being honest to myself, I knew I'd been spending more time on my songs lately because being in my room meant I could avoid Bella Swan. _Bella Swan._ That girl had no idea what she was _doing _to me. She hadn't muttered a word to me since the psychotic blonde, Rosalie, bitched on me while I was at work the other day. And that was _two months ago_. St. George had done such a good job on ignoring my presence at home that sometimes I wondered if I truly existed. She talked to every single one of my family members- everyone but me. Not that I blame her, of course, because if I were her, I probably wouldn't want to talk to me, either.

Taking a deep breath, I drew my cap low and walked onto the stage, not caring if my behavior made it seem like I was autistic or something. You see, nobody knew that Bobby James was Edward Cullen. Hell, no one at this place had ever seen my face- well, except the owner of the diner, a lady in her mid-sixties who had no idea who the Cullen family were.

_'Cause with all these things we do  
It don't matter when I'm coming home to you  
And with all that we've been through  
After all this time I'm coming home to you  
_

The crowd broke into a round of applause as I played and hummed the last note of the song. Just like that, I went from having a shitty day to feeling like I was standing at the top of the world. With greater confidence, I played the other two songs that I'd prepared, and couldn't help but smile to myself when I was greeted with the same enthusiasm. Onstage, I wasn't a total worthless piece of crap. I wasn't just tolerated because my grandmother was Elizabeth Cullen.

I was putting my guitar back in its case backstage when I heard a small voice behind me. "It's really you."

With an intake of a breath, I spun around and saw Bella Swan, who didn't look a bit like Bella Swan since the girl was in a dress, had light makeup on, and had curls sitting on her shoulders. But it was her, alright. I could recognize her face from anywhere. My first instinct was to yell at her, since she was the last person I expected to see here. The second I saw her, I knew my hopes of keeping who Bobby James really was from being exposed to the media was toast. After everything I'd put her through, there was no way in hell she was going to keep this a secret. It was the perfect way to retaliate, and I'm sure she knew it as well. I could already see the headlines for the tabloids tomorrow in my head.

I was screwed.

Still, as much as I wanted to lash out on her…_ I couldn't_. Maybe it was because she looked smaller than usual in the dress of hers, or maybe it was because she didn't look at me with belligerence and triumph in her eyes like I had expected.

"You weren't suppose to fucking be here," I murmured, surprised by how calm I sounded. Frowning, I studied her with my lips pursed. This girl hadn't spoken to me in over two months; the idea of her approaching me with a conversation was surreal. Usually, I'm good at figuring out what other people's intentions are when they speak to me. But when it came down to Swan, I was lost.

"You were great up there," she said, not tauntingly, but as if she meant it.

"Thanks," I responded, still scrutinizing her face for signs of mocking or scheming. "How did you know it was me?"

At my question, she looked down to her feet, pursing her lips. "I... umm... heard you sing _Gunslinger_ two days ago on my way to the restroom."

That explained it.

"Can I ask you something?" I didn't give her the chance to respond. "Why are you speaking to me now? After two months of the silent treatment?"

"Because I don't know how to act around you." The frustration was clear in her voice. "I can't figure you out. I don't know why you've kept my mom a secret when you know it's the easiest way to destroy my life, something that you've wanted since day one."

"I told you I wouldn't say anything and I don't break my promises," I said, looking away. "I meant it when I said I was sorry, Swan. I wish I can take back what I did… but I can't."

Silence ensued, and I thought for sure she was going to spit something like "Fuck you, Cullen" to my face and stomp away. Instead, she just said, "Okay. I have to go. My friends are waiting."

_Okay_? After all that had been said, her response was _okay_?

"Swan," I made a grab for her wrist just as she was about to walk away. I dropped it the instant I saw her wince. _Nice work, Cullen. You just made her more afraid of you_, I thought to myself disapprovingly.

"Yeah?"

"I know I'm the last person that should be asking favors but…" I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Please don't tell anyone about what I do on Friday nights, not even my family. Please."

"I won't," she smiled timidly. "You didn't tell my secret… So don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

"Thanks," I let out a sigh of relief. "And Swan? You look different tonight." She blushed at my comment, and I had to refrain myself from laughing at her discomfort when I added, "Not a bad different though."

"Err… thank you?"

Well. Who would have ever thought Swan and I were capable of having a civil conversation.

* * *

To be honest, I wasn't thrilled that Dad was getting remarried. Not because I didn't want Esme as a stepmother- she was probably the only female on the planet that didn't annoy me besides Bree- and most certainly _not _because I had been secretly hoping that one day my parents would get back together, like those stupid kids on T.V. that never seem to get the meaning of the word "divorce". No, I didn't look forward to the wedding because in my opinion they were pointless. If two people really loved each other, why would they need all that materialistic bullshit to prove their affection?

I didn't lose my temper for Esme's sake when the wedding planner showed up at our house unannounced, demanding that we try on the tuxes and dresses. St. George was the only one spared from the absurdity of this, and for once in my life, I was envious of her. Between the fits that Alice was throwing over her gown and the pushy wedding planner going around and telling us what to do like she fucking owned our place, the idea of jumping out of the window seemed more appealing every second. Why, _why _did Esme and my father have to have a big, fancy wedding at The Plaza? Why did this wedding have to be- according to Entertainment Weekly- "The Wedding of the Century?"

The only good thing that came out of this was that Grandma gave me the day off. At first I couldn't believe my ears, since I thought she was expecting me at the Bronx as soon as the dress rehearsal was over, but I knew better than to question her and called up the guys right away to meet me at the pub that we used to go to before my "punishment" since I hadn't hung out with those dumbasses in ages outside of school.

"So he remembers my number," Alec answered on the first ring.

"Shut up. What are you, Ben, and Garrett doing today?"

"Are you asking us out, Edward?" he faked a giggle. I could tell Alec was drunk, though I didn't know why he needed to be at eleven-thirty in the morning.

"Whatever. Meet me at _Jerry's_ in an hour, asshole." _Jerry's _was only five blocks away, which made it easy for me since I didn't have enough money for cab fare anymore. It wasn't until I started working at Grandma's place that I realized how little waiters and waitresses earned! I mean, yeah, Gran was generous to her employees with the money she was paying them, but still- I had no idea how those people were supposed to survive in New York with their salary alone.

I slid my phone in my pocket and ran upstairs to my room for a jacket. On my way down the hall, I bumped into Bella Swan, whose nose was red and swollen and eyes bloodshot and kind of watery. She was still in her pajamas, and her steps were a little wobbly. If you ask me, I don't think she was fully awake. Alice had asked Gran where Swan was when she missed breakfast this morning, and when Gran said she told Swan to stay in bed and rest because she caught a bad cold, I thought it was just her putting up an act to get out of breakfast and sleep in late on a Saturday morning. I used to do that all the time when I was a kid.

My speculation was wrong though; Bella Swan really did look horrible.

Despite the fact that she was still my enemy, still the girl who was inheriting everything I was entitled to, I couldn't resist speaking to her. "You look like shit." I made a face when she sneezed and nearly hit her head against the wall.

"Thanks," she rolled her eyes. "You don't… su… sugarcoat anything, do you, Cullen?" I snickered when she sneezed again.

I shook my head when I saw her continue wobbling down the hall. Even though I hadn't spent a lot of time with her, it wasn't difficult to perceive that the girl clearly had two left feet, and let's just say her cold wasn't making her balance problems less challenging for her. It wouldn't surprise me if she tripped over her own feet on her way downstairs. Not that I cared or anything.

The guys were already there by the time I set my foot in the bar. Garrett, the dumbass, jokingly embraced me into a hug while making kissy faces like we were some gay couple. Alec muttered something unintelligible and started laughing like a maniac, which made Ben sigh and slap the back of his head, hoping to get him to sober up. _The dude's a_ _goner_, I thought. Sitting next to Jasper, who was the best drinker out of all of us, I ordered myself a beer while ignoring the flirty smiles that the waitress was throwing in our direction.

"So, where's Bree?" asked Ben.

"How the hell would I know? Do I look like her father to you, Cheney?"

"I thought you guys were going out!"

"Says who?"

"Says Alec!"

I looked over to where Alec was at, still extremely drunk and looking like he was about to pass out any second from now. "A very reliable source," I sneered.

Jasper chuckled.

"You can't blame us for making assumptions. I see the two of you together at school all the time," said Garrett, raising his eyebrow. "So what's the deal?"

I groaned, not knowing why they were being so nosy all of a sudden. I thought only girls talked about this kind of stuff. "What's with the acquisition? And for the record, I don't want a girlfriend. I don't think I ever will."

Ben snickered and wiggled his finger at me from across the table. "Still want to play the field, Cullen? Not that I ever see you do any playing."

"I am _not _discussing this. And like you're the one to talk, Ben. When are you finally going to man up and talk to Angela Weber?"

As expected, Ben blushed and glared at me. Angela Weber is the girl that Ben had had a crush on since he was in the fifth grade but never had the courage to ask out. She was one of the smartest kids at Cornwall and was doubtlessly going to Harvard or Yale next year.

"You got burned, Cheney," Jasper laughed.

"You're so whipped that you don't even remember how it feels like to be single, Jazz," Garrett jeered. "The longest relationship I've ever had lasted for three days. How long have you and Alice been together?"

"Okay," I interrupted, slamming my fist into the table. "Enough of this crap. We are _not _having any more girly conversations."

The guys nodded except for Alec, who was now snoring with his head on the table. Ben made a disgusted face at him since he was usually the one who was responsible of getting him home, living next door and all.

"So, did you guys see the game last night?"

I let out a sigh of relief when Garrett changed the topic. Now _that_ was more like it.

We stayed out until six, since I wanted to be home for dinner to show Gran I wasn't going completely wild over having a day off. Gran hadn't mentioned anything about rewriting her will, but I figured I still had plenty of time to change her mind about my trust fund and inheritance. After all, I don't believe she would just willingly hand over my share to someone like Swan, who wasn't even a blood relative.

Swan missed dinner, and it felt weird to have the seat beside me empty since I had gotten used to having her on my left side, which was the side that I never allowed myself to glance at while I ate to avoid awkward eye contact. Gran asked Silvia to prepare a tray of food for her and take it upstairs to her room since she wasn't feeling well enough to come down.

"Your father says it's just a cold," said Gran, like I gave a damn about how Swan was doing. "Luckily she isn't feverish anymore."

"Poor thing," Esme murmured with concern. "She looked awful when I checked on her this afternoon."

Alice gave a sympathetic frown while I shrugged and looked down to my plate. Okay, I realize I was acting like a heartless monster, but honestly- what do you expect me to say? Swan's well-being wasn't supposed to concern me.

"Where _is_ Dad, by the way?" I asked, looking around.

"There was an emergency down at the hospital," Esme sounded distraught all of a sudden. "We made plans to share some news with you tonight… I guess it'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"My son works too much," Gran said with a shake of her head. "It's going to cost Carlisle his health. I've talked to him about it but he never listens."

_Hardheaded like his mother, the workaholic, _I almost blurted out.

When the talk about the wedding came on, I excused myself to my room while the three women gushed about how beautiful and perfect the wedding was going to be. Just the type of conversation I wanted to avoid. As I mounted the stairs, I heard Swan's nasty cough ringing from all the way down the hall. If anything, she sounded worse than she was this morning, which bothered me a little because it felt wrong to pick on her or tease her when she was weak and vulnerable.

Now that I was right in front of my room, I could hear her sniffling, even though her door was shut. I stared at my room for a while then looked over to hers, imagining her looking ill and feeble on the other side of the door. Then my feet started moving without my permission like I was on autopilot, and the next thing I knew, my hand was around her door knob. _I must be losing my mind_, I thought as I gently pushed her door open and tiptoed inside her room.

The lamp was turned on and I could see her curled into a ball in the middle of the bed, shivering. She coughed again, which made me jump at once since I was afraid that she was going to wake up and notice me in her room. She didn't, thankfully, since I had no idea how I was going to explain myself to her. My gaze shifted to the cough drop wrappers that were left on the night stand and I frowned when I spotted the empty pack. Why didn't anyone think of refilling her cough drops? And why didn't _she_ think of asking for more?_ Stupid._

Sighing, I turned up the heater and closed the door behind me quietly. I ran to the kitchen, which was where we kept all the medicine, and shook my head in dismay when I found we were out of cough drops.

"Where are you going?" Gran asked when she saw me heading for the door from the living room. Looks like Gran, Alice and Esme relocated for the wedding discussion.

"We're out of batteries," I lied. "I need some for this thing that I have."

"Okay. Come straight home and be careful."

"I will," I said.

_What on earth are you doing, Cullen? You don't give a shit about Bella Swan, remember? She's the enemy. THE ENEMY._

* * *

_Bella Swan_

There were very few things that I despised in this world: cockroaches, rats, and being sick. I stayed in bed all day today and slept, though it wasn't the best sleep I've ever had since my coughing and sneezing would wake me up every two hours or so. However, I _was_ grateful that today was a Saturday so I didn't have to miss any days of school with the mid-term approaching.

Between all the coughing, my throat was _killing_ me. I felt like someone was shoving a needle down my throat. At two a.m. I woke up again to use the restroom, and before I crawled back in the bed, I noticed a pack of unopened cough drops sitting on my nightstand, identical to the ones that Mrs. Cullen had kindly left for me this morning. She had been so attentive to me throughout the day that I felt guilty for making her stress over something as small as my minor cold.

The medicine that Dr. Cullen prescribed me was really effective. By next morning, I no longer felt like my head weighed a thousand pounds and I coughed a lot less than I had the day before. The bad news was my nose was still stuffed up and my throat still felt like hell, but overall I felt _a lot_ better. I changed out of my PJs and slipped into a pair of sweatpants and pullover after stepping into the shower. Edward was right; I did look like shit. My nose was peeling and it was as red as a tomato; my hair was _wild_, like a tornado had just hit, and it took me forever to get it untangled.

"Good morning." I strolled down the stairs and found Mrs. Cullen reading newspaper in the living room, Edward sitting on the other end of the couch doing the exact same thing. It was quite interesting, watching them, since they looked so much alike with that look of concentration on their faces.

Mrs. Cullen turned around in surprise at the sound of my voice, her lips stretching into a smile. "How are you feeling this morning, dear?"

"Much better, thank you," I smiled at her. "Oh, and thank you so much for the cough drops last night."

"You're welcome, dear. But I gave them to you in the morning, didn't I?" she sounded confused.

Edward shot up from his seat all of a sudden, like he had just forgotten something very important. "Gran? I think Silvia's calling you from the kitchen." I didn't hear Silvia say _anything_, even though I was closer to the kitchen than anyone else.

"What's going on?" I asked, when Mrs. Cullen was no longer within earshot. Edward sat back down and resumed reading without throwing a glance in my direction. His inconsistent behavior was giving me a whiplash. I mean, yesterday he was the one who initiated a conversation, which had given me hope that the antagonization between us would dim. But apparently not.

"What do you mean?"

"Did you…" I broke off abruptly when I realized how silly and impossible my assumption would sound if I said it out loud. But it was too late. He knew what I had meant to ask.

"Did I what?" he smirked condescendingly, putting down what he was reading and staring straight into my eyes. "Leave cough drops for you on your nightstand?" He threw his head back and let out a patronizing laugh. _Great. _"Have you always been delusional, Swan? Or did the fever do more brain damage than you think?"

"You're right," I chuckled, feeling foolish. Now that he said it, the idea sounded even more absurd than before. _Edward Cullen. Getting me cough drops. Pft. Like that will ever happen. _"I hope I didn't wound your ego with my ludicrous question," I added sarcastically.

"You almost did."

I left him in the living room when I heard Mrs. Cullen shouting "Breakfast's ready" from the dining room. Shaking my head at the thought of how ridiculous I must have seemed to him a while ago, I laughed quietly, secretly thinking he was right about the fever screwing with my head. My steps stilled when a sudden thought hit me. I didn't say anything about nightstands to Mrs. Cullen, did I?

* * *

**A/N: **I apologize for leaving you without an update for so long and thank you so much for still following this story. Finally some more Edward/Bella interaction! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and please review:)


	11. Hideous Truth

Chapter Ten: Hideous Truth

_Edward Cullen_

My mother, Victoria Taylor, walked out on our family when Alice and I were nine. No explanation, no letter… She just fucking_ left_. Even though she had tried to keep in touch with us over the years, like paying us unexpected visits every once in a while and sending us postcards and gifts from wherever the fuck she was, I had always wanted to cut her from my life since she was the reason this family was so screwed up.

That was why this morning when I woke up, walked downstairs, and found her sitting on the couch with her arm around Alice, I marched right back upstairs. It was too late though; Dad had already seen me, and he insisted that I come back down and greet my mother since, according to him, it was "the right thing to do."

"Ah, Edward! My boy. You look taller and even more handsome than I remember." I shrugged out of her embrace with disgust when she tried enveloping me into a hug. Everything about her made me sick. Her smile. Her perfume. Her voice.

"Victoria…" Dad cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Esme will be here in half an hour…"

"Relax, Carlisle," she smiled warmly at him, and the sound of my father's name upon _her _lips made me want to punch something. "I won't be long. I just wanted to let Edward and Alice know that I will be in town this week and I'd like to spend some time with them."

"The whole week? Really?" Alice enthused, and her face lit up like she had just won the freaking lottery. "Wow. That's great! Where are you staying at, Mom?"

Ugh._ Mom_. I hadn't uttered that word aloud since she left us.

"A hotel nearby," she said. "Well, if you and Edward aren't busy for lunch later, why don't we go out and eat?"

Alice said "Yes" the same time I bellowed "No." Dad glared at me, for being rude I assume, and Alice looked equally pissed off. I didn't get them. They were treating Victoria like she was some goddamn guest that we were lucky to have. _This is the woman that cheated on you, dumbass. This is the woman that walked away from her mistake because she was a coward who didn't have the courage to stay around and clean up her mess. _Of course, I couldn't tell them all those things because they didn't know. No one did.

"I see. You're busy today, so how about tomorrow? We can have dinner together."

I turned away and rolled my eyes. "Can't. I have something I can't get out of." I was a good liar, but this time I didn't make an effort to sound convincingly. There was no need; I _wanted_ Victoria to know she wasn't worth a second of my time.

"What a shame," she murmured. "It's alright though. Alice and I will still have a lovely time. Right, darling?"

"Of course, Mom!" My sister laughed. "I'm sure we'll have a better time now that Edward won't be there to spoil our meal!"

Scowling, I clenched my fists, blood boiling under my skin. How dared she, showing up at our home like she was still a part of our family and pretending nothing had happened? And more importantly, what the fuck was wrong with Dad, being civil to the woman who walked out on him nine years ago? I couldn't stomach another minute of this polite bullshit.

To make things more complicated, Esme chose then to show up. She had been away for two weeks in Scotland visiting her grandfather, who was like a Scottish earl something. "Sorry. I didn't realize you had company," she murmured, shooting a look of confusion at my dad when she saw us sitting and standing in the living room.

"Esme, this is Victoria. Victoria, Esme. My fiancée." I could tell my dad was uncomfortable as he made the introduction. When Victoria shook Esme's hand and said how nice it was to finally meet her, I felt like my head was about to explode with fury. Unable to stand another minute of Victoria, I stomped to the kitchen, enraged. _Screw breakfast. I'll just get a cup of milk and a slice of bread and eat them in my room. _

"Edward?" I was going to snap at the person behind me, who I had guessed was Victoria, but I calmed down after realizing it was only Esme. She pulled me into a hug, and unlike the one I received from Victoria earlier, Esme's felt warm and sincere.

"You don't look so good, Handsome. What's the matter?"

"I'm just… a bit pissed that_ she's_ here."

She gave me a sympathetic smile and squeezed my hand. She knew how I felt about Victoria. "She _is _your mother, Edward. You can't change that."

I bobbed a nod, sighing when she gave me another hug. It was then that I realized that Victoria had been watching us all along from the couch, looking hurt by the exchange between Esme and me. Good. I wanted her to know what I held against her was personal.

* * *

_Bella Swan_

I woke up to the sound of Edward's cursing and yelling from the other side of the wall. I assumed he also threw something at the wall, since I heard something breaking into pieces, and prayed that what I heard wasn't actually the sound of the windows shattering for Mrs. Cullen's sake.

Tentatively, I tiptoed down the hall. Even though Edward hadn't been _mean_ to me since our blowout about my mom, I still didn't know what to think of him. There were times that he irritated the living daylight out of my just by being in the same room but there were also times that I felt it was possible for us to be friends.

The Cullen family were in the living room. By the window stood a beautiful woman with chestnut hair cascading down her back, dressed fashionably in a pink suit with her arm around Alice. "Bella, this is Victoria, Edward and Alice's mother." Carlisle smiled awkwardly, putting an arm around Esme, who looked equally uncomfortable.

At the sound of my name, Victoria turned to my direction and smiled. Letting go of Alice, she took small steps towards me with her hand held out. "Very nice to meet you, Bella. I'm guessing you are the brave girl who saved Elizabeth. I read all about you in the paper." Not knowing what to say, I smiled in response.

"Now, are you staying with us for breakfast, Victoria? I can ask Silvia to set another plate-"

"Oh, there's no need. I actually have an appointment this morning," said Victoria, cutting Mrs. Cullen off. "I must get going. I'll call you later, Alice, and tell Edward he's welcomed to join us if his plans get cancelled."

The disappointment was evident in Alice's eyes. "You're leaving already, Mom? You just got here!"

"I'm sorry, honey. We'll catch up at lunch."

Mrs. Cullen showed Victoria the door, and I caught a "What's she doing here?" in the midst of Carlisle and Esme's whispering. It was clear that no one in the Cullen family but Alice was thrilled that Edward's mom was here. Was that why Edward was acting moodier than usual this morning?

Upon returning to the living room, Mrs. Cullen asked Alice to call Edward down for breakfast. When Alice refused brusquely, I volunteered to go up there since I was going to fetch a jacket anyways. The second my offer slipped through my lips, however, I regretted it. With Edward being this furious, I probably wasn't the best person to get him to come out from his room.

_Okay. You were stupid enough to offer. Now be stupid enough to follow it through._

I trotted up the stairs and walked swiftly to Edward's room, figuring the longer it took me, the more likely I was going to chicken out at the last minute. The wooden door jerked open, taking me by surprise just as I was about to knock. He flinched when he saw me standing in the hall, in front of his room, gawking at him like a moron.

"What do _you _want?"

I felt a cold sweat steal over my forehead. "Breakfast's ready and umm… your grandma wants you to come down." It was then that I noticed that his knuckles were bleeding. Unthinkingly, I reached for his left hand to get a closer look, briefly forgetting it was Edward Cullen standing before me. "You're bleeding!"

He jerked his hand back so abruptly and aggressively that I nearly yelped in alarm. "Mind your own business!" he barked, glaring. _Again. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. _Breathlessly, I darted downstairs, hoping he wouldn't chase me down and, I don't know, break my arm off.

Breakfast couldn't have been more awkward. Alice glowered at Edward the entire time while Edward looked as if he could kill. Mrs. Cullen tried to dissipate the tension in the room by talking about the wedding, and Carlisle and Esme responded enthusiastically, as if they hadn't noticed the anger on Edward and Alice's faces. After a while, when the adults ran out of topics to discuss, it was just the sound of forks clinking against plates filling the room.

Alice broke the silence by casting a belligerent look in her brother's direction. "So, Edward, I _am _curious. Who's important enough for you to blow off Mom? You said you were busy."

Edward, throwing his fork down to his plate, glared at her. "I didn't stop you from having lunch with her, did I? So_ shut up_."

"Edward!" Carlisle chided.

Alice shot up from a chair all of a sudden and jabbed her finger at Edward, who was now eyeing her with disdain. "It's _your _faultthat Mom rarely visits. With your attitude, I wouldn't want to, either!"

Instead of exploding in rage, like he normally would, Edward just looked at Alice with a dark, scary expression that even stopped Mrs. Cullen from saying whatever it was that she had planned to say. "She doesn't visit because she doesn't give a damn about us, Alice. All she's ever cared about is _herself_. If these meaningless, once-a-year visits are enough for you, then you know what? Good for you. You can pretend that we're just one big happy family, but do not force me to live in your fantasy bubble with you."

He sounded so calm and collected that I kept waiting for the blow that I was sure would come. I didn't even realize I had been holding my breath.

Alice's lips quivered. "Mom _loves _us, alright? She does."

Edward let out a contemptuous scoff and looked away from her, which made Alice bristle. "Apologize to your sister, Edward!" The blood had drained from Dr. Cullen's face.

"For what?" Edward retorted. "What I said was true. Now if you'll excuse me," he got to his feet, his chair scraping against the floor.

Nobody said anything when Edward dashed for the door, slamming it as he left the house. Maybe they were used to his temper. I knew I was.

That afternoon, Riley and I made plans to meet at Starbucks for coffee and my mood brightened as soon as I spotted him in the corner booth. His warm, inviting smile did funny things to my heart; I grinned at him like a goof and took the seat across from him.

"Sorry I'm late," I said, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Don't worry about it; you're right on time. I was just so excited to see you that I came early," he winked at me. I emitted a small, embarrassed laugh but deep down I was really happy that Riley treasured what we had as much as I did. He pushed forward the Caramel Frappuccino and Brownie that he ordered for me.

Riley and I almost never ran out of things to talk about, and even if we did, the silence wasn't awkward at all. We covered pretty much everything; from his classes to my dad, and then the Cullens. I told him about Victoria's visit this morning, and how the entire family had been acting weird ever since. He said he didn't really remember much about Victoria except she was quite the looker; he had only seen her a few times when he was a child.

"So how are you getting along with Edward these days? Is he still giving you a hard time?" Riley asked, taking a sip of his coffee. My hesitation before answering his question didn't escape his notice. "Jeez, is he still that awful to you?"

"No," I said quickly. "I mean, he still hates the fact that I'm living in his house, but we're not ripping each other's throat out." I didn't add the fact that I was acting so stupid around Edward lately that I was practically giving him an invitation to snap at me.

He laughed. "That sounds reassuring, I guess." We caught a movie afterwards and I insisted on it being my treat since he had paid for the coffee and pastry, and also lunch the day before. The line was obnoxiously long; we must have waited twenty minutes just to get the tickets. "Wait here," Riley said. "I'll get us some popcorn."I told him thanks and watched him with a smile as he walked away.

My smile faltered when I spotted Edward and a gorgeous dark-haired girl exiting an expensive Japanese restaurant across the street, her hand on his arm. She was beaming at him, but he wasn't smiling and it seemed that his attention was elsewhere.

"Okay. We're all set." I didn't even notice Riley approaching. Turning at the sound of his voice, I muttered "Thanks" and stuffed a piece of popcorn into my mouth, hoping he hadn't seen me watching Edward and that girl. "Isn't that Edward and Bree?" he chuckled. "They seem… cozy."

Bree. That was when the fact that she was the girl who I had stepped on when I first met Edward, the same day Mrs. Cullen was shot, dawned on me. Wow. It seemed like it happened in another lifetime.

As if Edward heard Riley's comment, which he couldn't have from where he was standing, he swept his eyes around and narrowed them when he saw me and Riley. I turned away instantly, not wanting him to ruin my date or affect my good mood. "Come on, Riley. We're going to miss the previews." He wrapped his one of his arms around my waist and held the popcorn in his other. From the corner of my eye, I peeked just to see how Edward reacted to that, or whether he reacted at all. They had already walked away.

"Emmett, if you don't stop taking food from my plate when you _think _I'm not looking, I'm going to break your fingers," I threatened, smacking his hand when he tried to snatch one of my fries. He and Rose met up with Riley and me for dinner at a new deli shop close to his place, which was also only a block away from_ Bella Villagio_. He was also being a giant pain in the ass.

"I'm starving!" he whined, gesturing to his now-empty plate.

"Order more! Besides, I don't see you taking anything from Rosalie's plate, even though she's outside talking on the phone!"

Emmett threw me a "Are you freaking crazy? She would kill me" look, pinched one of my fries before I could react, and shoved it in his mouth with a smirk to rub it on me. I scowled at him while Riley laughed.

A minute later, Rosalie returned with a wide smile, practically bouncing back to our table with excitement. "Guess what."

"You won the lottery?" Emmett offered, muttering, "Do you guys want to order some chicken wings? I'm still kind of hungry."

"You won a trip to Hawaii?" Riley chuckled.

"Jude Law proposed?" I giggled. Rosalie was crazy about British actors, and ever since she saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie, her latest infatuation had been Jude.

She glared at all three of us. "No, no, and no. Though what you said," She pointed her index finger at me, "could still happen." Emmett rolled his eyes. "Okay. My uncle's ice cream parlor reopens tomorrow."

I still can't believe that it'd been four months since the shooting took place. The police still hadn't figured out the identity of the person who tried to kill Mrs. Cullen, and they were guessing that she wasn't working alone by how fast and successfully she was able to get away from the crime scene. Rosalie's uncle lost a lot of customers after the shooting, since most people began regarding it as "the dangerous part of the Bronx". He got the windows replaced, which cost him a ton of money, but decided to close down the shop for a while, just until the entire thing blew over.

"Great. Now we have one more place to hang out," Emmett said cheerfully.

"Man, I wonder if the police will ever catch the person who did it," Rosalie shook her head wistfully.

Emmett scoffed. "That person must be either insane or heartless. I mean, who the hell is sadistic enough to shoot a sixty year-old in the head? She needs to be locked up in jail or sent to a mental institution or something." Rosalie shot him a pointed glare and kicked him from under the table. Emmett, realizing what he had just said, turned to me with remorse. "Oh, fuck. Bella, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's fine," I cut him off with a smile. Mom had been in the mental facility for so long that comments like that didn't really bother me anymore. The nurses said that she was finally making progress on mental recovery; she hadn't broken down into tears or harmed herself in the last two weeks, but they wanted to keep her for another couple of weeks to make sure she was really stable. Dad and I were ecstatic, of course.

"I'm stupid." Emmett flicked himself on the forehead.

"Em, stop it!" I chuckled. "It's okay. I wasn't offended." Riley gave my hand a squeeze and threw me a sympathetic smile.

We chatted for another hour, Emmett ordered some more food, and Rosalie suggested we all go clubbing with it being a Saturday night. I turned her down since I had promised Mom that I'd visit her tomorrow morning and I didn't want to oversleep. Mrs. Cullen's apartment was dark by the time I returned. Tentatively, I took deliberate steps across the living room, feeling a little uneasy in the eerie darkness. Spotting a dim light in the kitchen and hearing the sound of glass clinking, I relaxed. I didn't like being in this apartment alone, since it made me feel even more out of place.

I walked over to the kitchen, expecting to find Silvia about to take off for the night. To my bewilderment, it was_ Edward_, sitting on the kitchen island and drinking out from a bottle of wine. I wondered what he was doing home this early on a Saturday night. It was so dark in the room that I could barely make out his silhouette, despite the candle flickering from the counter.

"Hey." I was just about to turn away when I heard his voice.

"Hey," I said, taken aback.

"What were you doing, spying on me?"

I swallowed. "I didn't know it was you. I thought-"

"Would you relax?" he laughed, cutting me off. "It was a joke."

I muttered "Oh" then asked if I should turn the light on. He waved me off and said the light was giving him a headache.

I fidgeted, unsure what I should do while he took another sip-_ gulp_- of his wine and sighed, throwing his head back. I realized he had drunk half the bottle already. No wonder he was being so civil to me- _he wasn't sober._

"Umm… I'll just get a glass of water and leave," I mumbled, shuffling toward the cabinet.

"Do you mind staying?" he asked, catching my wrist. My heart accelerated when he stared straight into my eyes. "I don't like drinking alone." Why he wanted my company was beyond me. Was he so drunk that he didn't even know who I was?

I hesitated. "Okay, I guess."

"Hop on."

It took me two tries to get myself on the island; I could have sworn I heard him snicker. When he asked me if I wanted some alcohol, I declined.

"What do you have there?" I had forgotten about the CD that I had just bought. I handed it over to him, expecting him to criticize my taste in music, like he did to everything else that I liked. "You like Skillet?" he sounded incredulous.

"Yes," I said, defensively. "Is there a problem?"

"Did I say there was a problem?" He raised his eyebrow. "I have this CD." Oh. Well, what do you know? "Look, I'm sorry about this morning. I was mad at my… _that woman _for showing up and I took it out on you. I shouldn't have yelled like that."

Wow. He must have been _really _drunk if he was apologizing.

Now that I was closer to him, I noticed how much of a wreck he looked for the first time. Not that he didn't look good- he did, even though he was only wearing jeans and a wife-beater - but he looked…_troubled_. His eyes were bloodshot, and he kept grimacing and tapping the side of his head, like there was something inside that he wanted to get rid of.

"Are you okay?" I half-whispered.

"I don't know. I don't fucking know." His voice cracked, and he buried his head between his hands. I wanted to do something to comfort him, maybe throw my arms around him, but I knew I shouldn't. "Do you know how it feels to know something you're not supposed to know? Something you have to keep from everyone you know, even your family?" He drank from the bottle again, this time emptying it.

"Why can't you tell your family?" I asked, unsure where this was going.

"Because it's too late to say something now," he whispered. "I should have said something all those years ago."

* * *

_Edward Cullen_

Fuck. My head was _killing_me.

"I don't understand." Swan's voice was so quiet that I could barely hear her. "Look, you don't have to tell me anything-"

"My mom left us when I was nine," I cut her off, wincing when my thoughts traveled back to that afternoon. "She left without a word, and it devastated my dad, since my dad gave up a lot to be with her. A month later, she mailed the divorce papers, with a letter about how she married my dad too young and wasn't ready for marriage. She assured him there was no one else," I scoffed in disdain. Victoria was so full of shit. "She made her leave sound so righteous that it's sickening."

She waited for me to continue. She was probably asking herself why I was dumping all of this on her; to be honest, I had no idea why I was doing it.

"That's the story that my family was fooled into believing. What they don't know is that my mom cheated on my dad with his best friend. I saw them _together_, you know." I cringed when images from that afternoon started replaying in my head: Victoria inviting John over when my Grandma was away on a business trip and my dad was in a conference in Europe. Alice and I were sleeping over at our friends' house; now it makes sense why she was so eager to get us out of the house. I came home that day because I had forgotten to bring an extra shirt, and before I left the house, I wanted to say goodbye. I went to my parent's bedroom, knocked on the door then threw it open. John and Victoria were kissing on the bed, topless.

_"Oh my God," Victoria breathed, her eyes widened. "Edward, sweetie, let me explain-"_

I ran, because I was afraid of what she had to say.

"Oh, God," Bella whispered.

"I've kept it a secret all these years. I wanted to tell my dad, but in the end I found that I couldn't because it would _kill_ him. The two people that he cared about the most, betraying him like that…" I shook my head, thinking back to the days when my dad used to walk around the house like a zombie after the divorce was final. He loved her, and he took it harder than me and Alice.

"That man." Swan looked to her feet, frowning. "Did you know him well?"

"I thought I did," I chuckled. "In fact, you know him, too."

Surprised, she whipped around to face me abruptly. The candle casted a soft glow on her skin, and for a second there, I felt tempted to reach out and touch her cheeks, to see if they were as soft and warm as they looked. "I know him, too? What are you talking about?"

"That man is John Biers. Riley Bier's father."

Her eyes were wide and round as she sat there gawking at me, agape. "Ri… Riley's dad? Does Riley know about this?"

"No!" I said, and I could tell I startled her when I raised my voice. "This is why I haven't told _anyone_. Do you realize how many people would be hurting if the truth got out? I'd rather have my dad think my mom only left him because she wasn't ready to be tied down. If he knew the truth…" I shook my head at the thought. Dad would have been crushed- no doubt about that. John was his best friend; they grew up together, and he was the closest thing to a brother that he had. "And Riley… he used to _adore _his dad. Hell, I used to envy him for having a dad like John. It just didn't seem right to tell him. I mean, I didn't need to fuck his family up too, you know?"

She let out an uneven breath; I guess all of this was too much for her to process right on the spot.

"_Edward." I tried running again when Victoria found me sitting on a park bench, tears rolling down my face. "Listen to me-"_

"No! Get away from me!" I screamed when she put a hand on my shoulder.

She covered her mouth with her other hand and sobbed. "It was a mistake, Edward. I didn't mean for you to found out. Please don't tell your father. It would hurt him so much…"

"I'm fucking stupid," I sighed. "I should have said something then. I tried. I did. But I always end up chickening out." I thought back to the time when Victoria visited us for the first time after my parents' split- a year after the divorce. I was so angry at her for showing up without any remorse for what she had done that I almost blurted everything out then. It was what she said when she came up to my room to see me that stopped me. _Telling him won't change anything, Edward. Your dad will be hurt and imagine how he would feel if he knew that you knew about John all this time and didn't tell him anything. He would be mad at you, sweetheart. And you don't want that, do you? _I hated her for being right. I hated that smile on her face after she finished speaking. "I'm a coward."

Swan hopped off the counter and stood in front of me, placing her hand on mine. "You're not a coward, Edward. You just don't want to hurt the people that you care about. No one can blame you for that."

Maybe it was the alcohol talking. Maybe it was the way her brown eyes bored into mine that made me think, Hey, Swan wasn't that bad a person to have around after all.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry for the long wait- writer's block is extremely annoying! I'm not completely satisfied with the way this chapter turned out but I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer. I hope you enjoyed it anyways. PLEASE REVIEW!

I also recently started a **Wattpad** account and I already have one story up as of right now. It's called_ Project Popularity_. If you have a Wattpad account, please look me up and friend me! I would love to hear from you guys. I go by **MelTheBookAddict**. Thank you all!


End file.
